50 million people stuck in ‘modern slavery’: UN

 Fifty million people around the world are trapped in forced labour or forced marriage, the UN says. (AFP)
Fifty million people around the world are trapped in forced labour or forced marriage, the UN says. (AFP)
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Updated 12 September 2022

50 million people stuck in ‘modern slavery’: UN

 Fifty million people around the world are trapped in forced labour or forced marriage, the UN says. (AFP)
  • UN report highlighted the situation in China, where several UN agencies have warned of possible forced labor, including in the Xinjiang region, where Beijing stands accused of detaining more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities
  • Migrant workers are more than three times likely to be in forced labor than non-migrant adult workers, it showed

GENEVA: Fifty million people around the world are trapped in forced labor or forced marriage, the UN said Monday, warning that their ranks had swelled dramatically in recent years.
The United Nations had set a goal to eradicate all forms of modern slavery by 2030, but the number of people caught up in forced labor or forced marriage ballooned by 10 million between 2016 and 2021, according to a new report.
The study by the UN’s agencies for labor and migration along with the Walk Free Foundation found that at the end of last year, 28 million people were in forced labor and 22 million living in a marriage they had been forced into.




Family and friends say goodbye as Syrian refugee voluntarily board buses returning to neighbouring Syria on August 6, 2019 in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul. (AFP)

That means nearly one out of every 150 people in the world are caught up in modern forms of slavery, the report said.

The Covid-19 pandemic, which worsened conditions and swelled debt levels for many workers, has heightened the risk, the report found.
Coupled with the effects of climate change and armed conflicts, it has contributed to “unprecedented disruption to employment and education, increases in extreme poverty and forced and unsafe migration,” compounding the threat, it said.
“It is shocking that the situation of modern slavery is not improving,” Guy Ryder, head of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said in a statement.
“Nothing can justify the persistence of this fundamental abuse of human rights.”




A young Syrian boy works at a car repair shop in the town of Jandaris, in the countryside of the northwestern city of Afrin in the rebel-held part of Aleppo province, on June 11, 2022, a day before the annual World Day Against Child Labour. (AFP)

It is a long-term problem, the report cautioned, with estimates indicating entrapment in forced labor can last years while forced marriage is often “a life sentence.”
Women and children are by far the most vulnerable.
Children account for one out of five people in forced labor, with more than half of them stuck in commercial sexual exploitation, the report said.
Migrant workers are more than three times likely to be in forced labor than non-migrant adult workers, it showed.
“This report underscores the urgency of ensuring that all migration is safe, orderly, and regular,” Antonio Vitorino, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said in the statement.




Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon gather at the barbed wire border fence between Lebanon and Israel to meet with their relatives in Dhayra 03 June 2000 as an Israeli soldier (background L) stands guard. (AFP)

Modern slavery is present in basically every country, with more than half of cases of forced labor and a quarter of forced marriages in upper-middle income or high-income countries.
“It would be a mistake to believe that forced labor is solely the problem of poor countries,” Ryder told AFP.
The report found that the number of people — mainly women and girls — stuck in forced marriages had risen by a full 6.6 million since the last global estimates in 2016.

The number of people in forced labor swelled by 2.7 million over the same period.
The increase was driven entirely by more forced labor in the private economy, including forced commercial sexual exploitation.




Labors are seen loading cement sacks used for domestic needs, at the traditional port of Sunda Kelapa in Jakarta, 16 April 2007. (AFP)

But the report also said that 14 percent of those in forced labor were doing jobs imposed by state authorities, voicing concern about abuse of compulsory prison labor in many countries, including the United States.
It also pointed to grave concerns raised by the UN rights office about “credible accounts of forced labor under exceptionally harsh conditions” in North Korea.
And it highlighted the situation in China, where several UN agencies have warned of possible forced labor, including in the Xinjiang region, where Beijing stands accused of detaining more than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
Beijing has vehemently rejected such charges, claiming it is running vocational training centers to help root out extremism.
A report published by former UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet on August 31 said more information was needed, but that labor schemes in the region appeared to be discriminatory and to “involve elements of coercion.”
Monday’s report welcomed China last month having ratified the ILO Forced Labour Convention.
This means “they will start to report on the situation of the Uyghurs, and that will give us new opportunities to have access and to go deeper into the situation in that regard,” Ryder told AFP.
He acknowledged that the discussion about labor rights in Xinjiang was “not an easy conversation, ... but obviously it’s a very important one.”

 


9 people wounded in San Francisco mass shooting; 1 remains in critical condition

9 people wounded in San Francisco mass shooting; 1 remains in critical condition
Updated 28 sec ago

9 people wounded in San Francisco mass shooting; 1 remains in critical condition

9 people wounded in San Francisco mass shooting; 1 remains in critical condition
  • Shooting happened as clothing store named Dying Breed celebrated its sixth anniversary in San Francisco’s Mission District

SAN FRANCISCO, US: Nine people were wounded in a mass shooting in San Francisco’s Mission District on Friday night in what police said appeared to be a “targeted and isolated” incident.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the shooting happened shortly after 9 p.m. during a party hosted by a clothing store near the intersection of 24th Street and Treat Avenue.
The San Francisco Police Department initially said that all of the victims were “expected to survive their injuries.” But a statement from the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital said one of the victims remained in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon.
Another was said to be in serious condition, four were in fair condition and three had already been discharged. The victims were eight men and one woman ranging in age from 20 to 34, the hospital said.
Police Chief William Scott called the violence “unacceptable.”
“People should feel safe to go out in San Francisco without fear of being victims of gun violence,” Scott said. “Our investigators are working diligently on this case, and we will have a visible police presence moving forward in the community where this occurred.”
Dying Breed, a clothing store located near the intersection where the shooting happened, was scheduled to celebrate its sixth anniversary Friday night with a block party, according to a post on the store’s Instagram account.
A person who answered the phone at the store declined to comment.
The Mission District is one of San Francisco’s oldest neighborhoods, named after the Mission Dolores — a Spanish mission that dates back to 1776. Historically Latino and increasingly gentrifying in recent years, the vibrant area is home to numerous restaurants and shops.
Mayor London Breed said first responders were quick to react to the shooting and noted that “no lives were lost.”
“I know there are a lot of questions and concerns in the community, and people want answers,” Breed said. “We are still working to understand exactly what happened and why and we will share information as soon as we can.”


Greta Thunberg marks last ‘school’ strike as she graduates

Greta Thunberg marks last ‘school’ strike as she graduates
Updated 11 June 2023

Greta Thunberg marks last ‘school’ strike as she graduates

Greta Thunberg marks last ‘school’ strike as she graduates
  • Greta Thunberg was only 15 when she began her “School strike for climate” in front of Sweden parliament in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM: Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said Friday she was marking her last “school strike” as she was graduating high school, but said she would continue partaking in weekly protests.
“Today, I graduate from school, which means I’ll no longer be able to school strike for the climate. This is then the last school strike for me,” Thunberg said in a post on social media.
Thunberg, who spearheaded the global Fridays for Future movement, also said she didn’t plan on giving up the protests completely.
“I’ll continue to protest on Fridays, even though it’s not technically ‘school striking’. We simply have no other option than to do everything we possibly can,” said the 20-year-old, adding “the fight has only just begun.”
Greta Thunberg was only 15 when she began her “School strike for climate” in front of Sweden parliament in Stockholm.
“When I started striking in 2018 I could never have expected that it would lead to anything,” she said in a statement.
Together with a small group of youths she founded the Fridays for Future movement, which quickly became a global phenomenon.
“During 2019, millions of youth striked from school for the climate, flooding the streets in over 180 countries,” Thunberg said.
In addition to her climate strikes, the young activist regularly lambasts governments and politicians for not properly addressing climate issues.
At the end of March, she condemned what she called an “unprecedented betrayal” from leaders after the publication of the latest report by the IPCC, the UN’s climate advisory panel.

 


Boris Johnson’s shock exit reverberates through British ruling party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (REUTERS)
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (REUTERS)
Updated 10 June 2023

Boris Johnson’s shock exit reverberates through British ruling party

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (REUTERS)
  • Conservative lawmakers loyal to Johnson, some of whom received political honors from him just hours before his resignation, praised his record in social media posts

LONDON: Old rifts resurfaced in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party on Saturday following former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s abrupt resignation from Parliament, while the opposition Labour Party sensed opportunity ahead of a general election next year.
Johnson quit late on Friday in protest against an investigation by lawmakers into his conduct as prime minister during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdown-breaking parties were held in Downing Street.
In his resignation statement, Johnson railed against the inquiry that examined whether he misled the House of Commons about the gatherings, saying it had not found “a shred of evidence” against him. He also took aim at current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Conservative lawmakers loyal to Johnson, some of whom received political honors from him just hours before his resignation, praised his record in social media posts. The rest were silent.
“Well done Rishi for starting this nonsense!!” lawmaker Andrea Jenkyns wrote in a Conservative Party WhatsApp group, according to a screenshot shared by a Sky News reporter.

FASTFACT

Boris Johnson quit late on Friday in protest against an investigation by lawmakers into his conduct as prime minister during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdown-breaking parties were held in Downing Street.

Jenkyns received the honorary title of Dame from Johnson on Friday, a power given to outgoing prime ministers.
His premiership was cut short last year in part by anger in his own party and across Britain over COVID rule-breaking lockdown parties in his Downing Street office and residence.
“Sunak supporters used resignations to drive Boris and his supporters from office,” veteran Conservative lawmaker John Redwood said on Saturday, referring to Sunak’s decision to quit Johnson’s administration last year.
“To avoid resignations from parliament the PM has to take the party in a direction more MPs want to go in and use more of its talent,” Redwood added.
Henry Hill, deputy editor of the Conservative Home website, said Johnson’s exit meant he was no longer a “prince-over-water” in parliament who threatened Sunak’s grip on the party.

“It will mean that any trouble made by his allies is much less potent,” Hill told BBC radio.

A YouGov poll published on Saturday showed 65 percent of Britons thought Johnson knowingly misled parliament, compared with 17 percent who did not.

Johnson’s departure from parliament, alongside his ally Nadine Dorries who also resigned on Friday, triggered by-elections for two Conservative-held constituencies that Sunak must now defend.

The opposition Labour Party, which has a roughly 16-point lead over Sunak’s Conservatives in opinion polls, said it relished the prospect.

“We will be fighting to win in those constituencies,” Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner told the BBC on Saturday.

“They’ve created a by-election because both of them (Johnson and Dorries) have thrown their toys out of the pram.”

Johnson’s decision to resign may be the end of his 22-year political career, where he rose from parliament to become mayor of London and then built a profile that tipped the balance of the 2016 European Union referendum in favour of Brexit, before becoming prime minister in 2019.

He did leave a possible door open to return, saying at the end of his resignation statement that it was “very sad to be leaving parliament - at least for now.”

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats opposition party, said Johnson jumped before he was pushed. “He was never fit to be an MP let alone Prime Minister of our great country,” Davey said.

 


Trump addresses Republican supporters after explosive indictment

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican convention, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Georgia. (AP)
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican convention, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Georgia. (AP)
Updated 10 June 2023

Trump addresses Republican supporters after explosive indictment

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Georgia Republican convention, Saturday, June 10, 2023, in Columbus, Georgia. (AP)
  • Two Republican events come just days before Trump is due to appear in federal court in Miami

COLUMBUS, US: Donald Trump addressed his supporters Saturday for the first time since his indictment on multiple federal charges shot the 2024 presidential election race into uncharted and potentially deeply destabilizing territory.
The 37 counts of the indictment — released on Friday and focused on his alleged mishandling of classified materials — set the former president up for a far more severe legal reckoning than the charges of personal, political and commercial misconduct he has largely ridden out in the past.
And it also sets the stage for a White House race like no other before it, with President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice pursuing the prosecution of the clear front-runner for the Republican nomination.
Trump, who has already denounced what he insists is a politically-motivated witch hunt, is talking at two state Republican conventions in Georgia and then North Carolina, and is widely expected to use both platforms to attack the FBI and accuse federal prosecutors of unfairly targeting him.
The two events come just days before Trump is due to appear in federal court in Miami to answer the explosive charges he put US national security “at risk” by willfully retaining classified defense information, conspiring to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing documents, and making false statements.
The charges, brought by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, carry up to 20 years in prison each.
Trump has already responded to the indictment with a string of posts on his Truth Social platform and a video statement, calling Smith “deranged” and a “Trump hater” and framing the prosecution as election interference orchestrated by Biden and his campaign.
“They come after me because now we’re leading in the polls again by a lot against Biden,” he said.
So far, the response of many Republicans — including some of Trump’s party nomination rivals — has been to rally behind the former president and amplify his sense of outrage.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who has had a rollercoaster relationship with Trump, said the indictment marked a “dark day” for the United States.
“I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump,” McCarthy said.
And Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, seen as Trump’s most viable challenger for the Republican ticket, echoed the claims of a “weaponized” Justice Department.


On Lampedusa, Red Cross takes over grim migrant hub

On Lampedusa, Red Cross takes over grim migrant hub
Updated 10 June 2023

On Lampedusa, Red Cross takes over grim migrant hub

On Lampedusa, Red Cross takes over grim migrant hub
  • Tonnes of rubbish have been cleared, and new bathrooms installed, although a sour smell still lingers
  • There is a new medical team in place and rows of modern cots are ready to almost double the site's emergency capacity

LAMPEDUSA, Italy: The reception center on the Italian island of Lampedusa is for many migrants their first taste of Europe after crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and for those arriving, it is a grim, desperate place.
Flooded bathrooms, a lack of food and water and chronic overcrowding that left men, women and children sleeping on filthy mattresses in the open air — the stories told by humanitarian workers are bleak.
Three migrants have died in the center in recent months, according to the UN’s migration agency, amid accusations of a dangerous lack of doctors.
On June 1, the government brought in the Italian Red Cross, which has vowed to provide a more dignified welcome to the tens of thousands who arrive each year from North Africa, hoping for a new life in Europe.
Tonnes of rubbish have been cleared, and new bathrooms installed, although a sour smell still lingers. There is a new medical team in place and rows of modern cots are ready to almost double the site’s emergency capacity.
Efforts are also being made to speed up transfers off the island to ease pressure on a facility built for 389 people but which often houses more than 3,000.
“Here we are at the door of Europe. And obviously our mission... will be to restore that dignity which was often lacking to those who arrive in Italy,” said Ignazio Schintu, Red Cross director for emergencies, during a media tour this week.
Famed for its white sand beaches, Lampedusa was for decades best known as a tourist destination and still draws huge crowds each summer.
But located just 90 miles (around 145 kilometers) off the coast of Tunisia, it has also become one of the first points of call for the wave of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.
More than 46,000 migrants landed last year on Lampedusa, out of 105,000 total arrivals in Italy, according to the UN refugee agency.
In the picturesque old harbor, a small fleet of coast guard and police boats is moored alongside the fishermen and tourist day-trippers.
When the weather is fine and the sea calm, they are called out almost every day to meet the migrant boats approaching the coast.
At the reception hotspot, the arrivals are given food, water, clothes and a medical check-up, as well as access to a phone, a charging point and the Internet.
“Wi-Fi and connection... is one of the first requests that they make of us,” to enable them to let loved ones back home that they are safe, said Francesca Basile, Red Cross’ head of migration.
Sadly, her team also helps with “clarifying the fate of dead bodies or missing persons” for families “looking for somebody that is not present anymore,” she told AFP.
More than 1,000 migrants have died this year so far in the central Mediterranean, according to the UN migration agency.
Migrants once came and went as they pleased but these days the center is surrounded by a high fence and patrolled by soldiers outside.
On trestle tables under a gazebo between the prefabricated buildings, a group of young Tunisian men sat chatting.
Asked their opinion of the center, one laughed and said: “50-50.”
Many held here are teenagers or children, with or without their families, and they and the women are held separately from adult men.
A number of playground toys are installed under the shadow of the few trees, while one wall bears the letters of the alphabet and a few Italian words.
Psychologists are also on hand to help the most vulnerable, although a requirement for migrant centers to provide such services was recently removed by the new right-wing government in Rome.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition took office in October in large part on a promise to stop mass migration into Italy.
But more than 53,000 people have already arrived this year, up from 21,000 in the same period of 2022, from countries including Ivory Coast, Egypt, Guinea, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The government passed a law seeking to speed up the processing of arrivals, sparking warnings that they must protect migrants’ rights.
It has also vowed to improve and expand reception facilities, and Meloni’s emergency migration commissioner was on Lampedusa this week to show support for the Red Cross, which took over the management from a cooperative group.
Police have their own building in the center and the goal is to transport arrivals off Lampedusa within a day or two, to centers on the mainland where they can be properly processed.
Where they go next is hard to say.
The day after the media tour, AFP saw dozens of young men transported to the port and onto a ferry for Sicily.
Mohammed, 26, told AFP he had come from Bangladesh via Libya. He did not know where he was going, but when asked how he felt to be in Italy, he replied with a wide smile: “Good.”