Latest Forced labor News
Teenager describes tumultuous life at trial of adoptive parents accused of neglect and forced labor
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A teenager whose discovery in a locked shed led to the arrest of her adoptive parents testified Friday that she and her siblings lived tumultuous lives in substandard conditions, including being forced to sleep on the floor and use buckets as toilets. The...
Trial starts for West Virginia couple accused of subjecting their 5 children to forced labor
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A witness broke down in tears as she described children carrying heavy objects on hilly terrain at the home of a West Virginia couple who were later arrested after two of their five adopted children were found locked in an outbuilding. The trial of Jeanne...
UK lawmakers slam Shein for refusing to answer questions on its cotton supply
LONDON (AP) — A lawyer for Shein summoned to a British parliamentary hearing evaded questions Tuesday on whether the fast-fashion giant sells products containing cotton from China, angering lawmakers seeking answers on the retailer's labor practices and allegations of forced labor in its supply...
Chinese automaker BYD slams reports of poor conditions at a factory site in Brazil
BANGKOK (AP) — A spokesperson for Chinese automaker BYD has objected to reports about poor conditions at a construction site in Brazil where it is building a factory, saying the allegations were aimed at “smearing” China and Chinese brands. Earlier in the week, a task force...
Turkey's soaring costs are creating a 'lost generation' of kids forced to help their families get by
ISTANBUL (AP) — In a dim one-room apartment in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods, 11-year-old Atakan Sahin curls up on a threadbare sofa with his siblings to watch TV while their mother stirs a pot of pasta. The simple meal is all the family of six can look forward to most...
Alabama profits off prisoners who work at McDonald’s but deems them too dangerous for parole
DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A storm was looming when the inmate serving 20 years for armed robbery was assigned to transport fellow prisoners to their jobs at private manufacturers supplying goods to companies like Home Depot and Wayfair. It didn’t matter that Jake Jones once had escaped or that he...
Takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting on prison labor in Alabama
DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years — including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery — it has constructed a...
Today in History: December 6, 13th Amendment ratified, abolishing slavery
Today is Friday, Dec. 6, the 341st day of 2024. There are 25 days left in the year. Today in history: On Dec. 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery, was ratified as Georgia became the 27th state to endorse it. Also on...
South Korea holds memorial for forced laborers in Japan after boycotting Japanese event
SADO, Japan (AP) — South Korea commemorated wartime Korean forced laborers at Japan’s Sado gold mines in a ceremony Monday, a day after boycotting a similar event organized by Japan, as tensions over historical atrocities continue to strain relations between the two sides. ...
Japan holds first memorial for 'all workers' at Sado gold mines but blurs WWII atrocity. Why?
SADO, Japan (AP) — Japanese officials have held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines, listed in July as a UNESCO World Heritage site after Japan moved past years of historical disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the mines' dark history. However, it has not...
