Mauritania makes slavery a criminal offence 9 August 2007 Blog 9 August 2007 Anti-Slavery International welcomes Mauritania’s criminalisation of slavery on 8 August. The new law, which passed with 100 per cent support in parliament, marks an historic step forward in the fight against this abuse. It makes the practice…
Returned North Korean migrants subjected to forced labour 1 August 2007 Blog 1 August 2007 North Korean economic migrants are being deported from China and illegally used as forced labour in North Korean prison camps, a new report from Anti-Slavery International reveals. Forced Labour in North Korean Prison Camps includes 30 interviews…
China sentences 29 in brick kiln forced labour case 17 July 2007 Blog 17 July 2007 A man was sentenced to death and 28 others imprisoned on 17 July for using forced labour in brick kilns in Shanxi province, China. Those found guilty include a brick kiln supervisor who was sentenced to death…
Brazil rescues over 1,000 forced labourers 6 July 2007 Blog 6 July 2007 Brazilian authorities freed over 1,100 forced labourers from a sugar cane plantation in the Amazon in the biggest raid to date. The government’s Mobile Inspection Group led the three-day raid, which ended on 2 July, against a…
Five convicted of child trafficking in legal first for Togo 19 June 2007 Blog 19 June 2007 Five men were convicted of child trafficking in the first case of its kind in Togo. They were found guilty on 19 June of trafficking five children to Nigeria. Three of the men were sentenced to prison…
Over 31,000 people call for action on slavery 12 June 2007 Blog 12 June 2007 On Wednesday 20 June, Anti-Slavery International is submitting over 31,000 signatures from its Fight for Freedom Declaration at a meeting in Parliament, calling for measures to increase understanding of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, address its legacies and…
Bail denied US couple enslaving domestic workers 11 June 2007 Blog 11 June 2007 A couple in New York arrested for enslaving two migrant domestic workers and indicted on federal slavery charges, was denied bail on 11 June. Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her husband Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani were arrested on 15…
Indian Government restricts women from migrating for domestic work 29 May 2007 Blog 29 May 2007 In a worrying move, the Indian Government announced plans to prohibit women under 30 from migrating to work as domestics in an effort to tackle trafficking for sexual exploitation. The ban will apply to women seeking domestic…
Slavery trial a first for Thailand 11 May 2007 Blog 11 May 2007 For the first time Thailand’s anti-slavery law has been enforced, despite slavery being widespread and having been a criminal offence for over 50 years. On 25 April, Wipaporn Songmeesap was sentenced to seven years for enslaving a…
Child camel jockey programme extended 24 April 2007 Blog 24 April 2007 On 24 April, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government extended its agreement to rehabilitate and repatriate children trafficked as camel jockeys. The agreement with UNICEF extends a project which began in May 2005. Although this latest move…