About: child labour

European battery law will set global standard for the car industry, EU says

Proposed EU legislation to ensure materials for batteries are sourced ethically and sustainably will push up global standards, making Europe a "trailblazer" in the field, the European Commission has said.

EU envisages €1 billion aid to Ivory Coast to meet sustainable cocoa laws

The European Union envisages providing around one billion euros over six years to aid Ivory Coast's cocoa sector as it adapts to EU supply chain laws due to be introduced later this year, its envoy in Abidjan said.

7 million children are suffering in Europe’s coffee supply chain

The coffee, tea and cocoa consumed in the European Union and even inside the European Commission buildings are produced with slave and child labour, writes Fernando Morales-de la Cruz.

A child labour free Europe: How the new Commission can make it happen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s pledge to have ‘zero-tolerance’ for child labour in EU trade policy is a promising step. Delphine Moralis explains how these warm words can be turned into concrete actions to improve the lives of millions of children.

One in ten of the world’s children are forced to work, report shows

Every tenth child in the world, which amounts to over 150 million in total, are forced to work to support their family financially, according to the human rights organisation Terre des Hommes. This finding was published in the organisation's 2019 Child Labour Report, which it published for International Child Labour Day (12 June). EURACTIV Germany reports.

Narbaeva: Uzbekistan is determined to reform and put an end to negative stereotypes

Tanzila Narbaeva, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, told EURACTIV about her country's efforts to develop modern agriculture, eliminate child or forced labour and invest in human capital, especially women.

More than 40 million people trapped in slavery: New global estimate

More than 40 million people were trapped as slaves last year in forced labour and forced marriages, according to the first joint effort by key anti-slavery groups to estimate the number of victims worldwide of the international crime.

Arancha González: ‘Fair’ is a bit of a difficult word

In an exclusive interview, the International Trade Centre's executive director managed expectations about fair trade, as well as broaching the subject of child labour and transparency in the value chain.

Corporate accountability: Is the EU ready to listen?

The European Commission should start listening to its citizens and come out with concrete plans to enhance corporate accountability, at home and abroad, urge Jerome Chaplier, Urs Rybi and Sandra Cossart.

Malmström backs EU whistleblower over Thai labour rights

EU Trade Commission Cecilie Malmström on Thursday (6 October) strongly backed the British labour rights activist who helped expose labour abuses in Thailand, for which he received a three-year suspended jail sentence.

We need a change of approach to address the exploitation of Syrian refugee children

The war in Syria is raging on with no end in sight to the suffering or human rights violations it brings. We need to rethink how we protect the children displaced by this conflict, write Pierre Salignon and Gael Giraud.

Gebrselassie calls for more help for El Niño-hit Africa

Haile Gebrselassie, the world’s greatest-ever long-distance runner, has warned that the world is in danger of “forgetting a huge emergency” in Ethiopia and other African states struggling to respond to shortages after the most extreme El Nino in half a century.

Turkey: No future for refugees

Despite official claims, Turkey cannot be considered a safe country – neither for migrants nor for its own citizens, writes Hakan Ataman.

Smartphone batteries linked to human rights violations

An NGO report published today (19 January) has revealed the grim link between the batteries in our mobile devices and electric cars, and illegal child labour. EURACTIV's partner El País -Planeta Futuro reports.

EU labour rights activist pleads not guilty to Thai defamation charges

A UK lawyer pleaded ‘not guilty’ Monday to defamation charges which could see him spend seven years in jail for exposing alleged labour abuses in Thailand’s tinned fruit factories.

Shrimp sold by global supermarkets is peeled by slave labourers in Thailand

Every morning at 2 AM, they heard a kick on the door and a threat: get up or get beaten. For the next 16 hours, No 31 and his wife stood in the factory with their aching hands in ice water.

Thai traffickers exposed by campaign group investigating fishing industry

A three-year investigation into slavery on Thailand's fishing boats has uncovered a well-oiled system of trafficking, abuse and exploitation in the southern port of Kantang, leading to eight arrests this month, a campaign group said on Monday.

German manufacturers bail on sustainable textile alliance

With a special alliance for sustainable clothing and a new textile label, German Development Minister Gerd Müller hopes to help guarantee fair working conditions in developing countries. But the initiative has been abandoned by relevant corporations and is under attack from NGOs. EURACTIV Germany reports.

MEPs call for end to child labour in cocoa trade

Europeans are among the world’s biggest consumers and producers of chocolates, but members of the European Parliament want to stronger measures to ensure that a key ingredient in candy and confections wasn't harvested with child labour.