caption People look out the window of a bus on April 2, 2011 in Pyongyang, North Korea. source Feng Li/Getty Images One in every 10 people living in North Korea are forced into modern slavery, used to prop up the repressive regime and keep its population under tight control. According to the 2018 Global Slavery Index compiled by the Walk Free Foundation, more than 2.6 million people in North Korea are subjected to forced labor and exploitation by the state. The foundation interviewed 50 defectors from North Korea, many of whom indicated they had not been paid or were subject to state-sanctioned pay deductions. Walk Free Foundation’s executive director of global research Fiona David told Business Insider that the data should be taken into account when engaging with North Korea. One in every 10 people living in North Korea are forced into forms of slavery, which is used to prop up the repressive regime and keep the country’s population under … [Read more...] about 1 in 10 North Koreans are forced into modern day slavery, human-rights study estimates
Trafficking human rights
EU tells Philippines: Respect for human rights matters to businesses
EU tells Philippines: Respect for human rights matters to businesses Ian Nicolas Cigaral (philstar.com) - June 6, 2018 - 6:50pm MANILA, Philippines — Respect for both labor and human rights are important to investors, the European Union reminded the Philippines. “Yes, rights they do matter. It also matters to companies when they invest,” EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said in a press conference on the sidelines of a forum on labor standards and trade. “They want to make sure that when they do invest in countries, they invest in countries where human rights are respected because they don’t want to be seen as exploiting labor [and] taking short-term advantages of the weak labor market conditions in a certain country,” Jessen added. In 2014, the Philippines was granted beneficiary country status under the General System of Preference (GSP+) — a preferential trade deal that … [Read more...] about EU tells Philippines: Respect for human rights matters to businesses
State Department report: EJKs still ‘chief’ human rights concern in Philippines
State Department report: EJKs still 'chief' human rights concern in Philippines MANILA, Philippines — The alleged cases of summary execution in President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war remains a major human rights concern in the Philippines, amid rising impunity following a dramatic surge in police killings, the US State Department said in its global rights report for 2017. “Extrajudicial killings have been the chief human rights concern in the country for many years and, after a sharp rise with the onset of the antidrug campaign in 2016, they continued in 2017,” read the report released Friday (Washington time). Duterte, who is notorious for his defiance of international pressure and rejection of criticisms on his rights record, easily won the race to Malacañang on a brutal law and order platform. Human rights monitors say most of the fatalities in the government’s anti-narcotic drive are extrajudicial killings … [Read more...] about State Department report: EJKs still ‘chief’ human rights concern in Philippines
Civil groups to submit human rights report
The review is a unique mechanism of the UNHRC aimed at improving the human rights situation on the ground of each of the 193 UN member states. Under this mechanism, the human rights situation of all UN members is reviewed every five years. The process reviews 42 states each year during three working group sessions usually held in January-February, May-June and October-November. The Myanmar report will be written collectively by 38 groups, according to Cheery Zahau, a researcher of the report and also the country programme director for Myanmar of Project 2049 Institute. The organisations focus on 11 specific human rights issues to ensure that such issues are addressed during the interactive dialogue in the form of questions and/or recommendations. The issues can also be raised through advance questions. The 11 issues are freedom of expression, cooperation between the UN and regional mechanism, the rights of religious minorities, access to justice, corruption, child … [Read more...] about Civil groups to submit human rights report
Women championing human rights warn of threats and intimidation
Thailand joins the rest of the world celebrating the day on March 8. “At least two women defenders have lost their lives since 2014,” said Katia Chirizzi, deputy representative at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR) Southeast Asia Regional Office, yesterday at an event held to mark the day. Organised by the Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the event included awards for six prominent human-rights defenders and addressed challenges in their fields. NHRC commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit said strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) had hindered human-rights defenders’ efforts. “Used by both private firms and government agencies, these lawsuits cause concerns and fear. They have also posed a burden as the accused have to find money to fight their cases,” she said. Angkhana said if SLAPP suits were not stopped, accountability and transparency … [Read more...] about Women championing human rights warn of threats and intimidation