Child labour, forced labour in fishing and Chinese Uyghurs

The British government has called on food delivery companies to reform rules that allow jobseekers to lend their work accounts to third parties. Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats couriers are self-employed and can outsource deliveries to others. It allows children to work – although the minimum age for employment is 18, “replacement” couriers are not verified by the applications. A 17-year-old boy died while working for Deliveroo following a BBC investigation.

The Financial Transparency Coalition raises the alarm about tens of thousands of harmed workers around the world and almost 500 fishing vessels, where evidence of forced labour, sometimes resembling slavery, was detected. ¼ of the ships where workers’ rights may be violated belong to China. Russia, Spain, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea were also accused of mistreating employees. Meanwhile, according to the UN International Labor Organization, 128,000 fishermen around the world are at risk of violence, debt bondage, overtime work and other situations that indicate forced labour.

BP p.l.c., Spotify, WWF and Hilton Hotels & Resorts were among the companies that bought carbon credits, risking becoming embroiled in potential forced labour of Uyghurs in China. The loans came from a coal project developed by the Swiss company South Pole. The project focused on the Bachu power plant in Xinjiang, China, where biomass – mainly cotton stalks and wood – is burned and where Uyghurs may have been forced to work.