50 million people trapped in “modern slavery”; Argentinian hydrogen project threatens indigenous rights and the environment
Today’s global news summary brings news affecting the globe, Argentina, and Africa and discusses issues as diverse as modern slavery, green energy, and supporting women in business.
- Global: UN reports 50 million people worldwide are trapped in “modern slavery”
- Argentina: Multi-billion dollar hydrogen project threatens indigenous rights and the environment, say critics
- Africa: African leaders question how female businesses are supported
UN reports 50 million people worldwide are trapped in “modern slavery”
Labor markets and institutions
Latest estimates from the ILO, Walk Free, and the International Organisation for Migration reveal that forced labor and forced marriage have increased significantly in the last five years; ten million more people were in modern slavery in 2021 than in estimates for 2016. Of the 50 million people estimated to be in modern slavery, 28 million were in forced labor and 22 million in forced marriage. Every country in the world contains victims of modern slavery and the issue cuts across ethnic, cultural, and religious lines. Just over half of all forced labor and a quarter of all forced marriages occur in upper-middle-income or high-income countries. Almost one in eight of those in forced labor are children. The report recommends improving and enforcing related laws, strengthening legal protections, and providing greater support for women, girls, and the vulnerable.
In his article on whether minimum age of employment regulation reduces child labor, Eric V. Edmonds says that “[t]he global fight against child labor might be better served by focusing less on the laws that exist and more on their implementation and enforcement, as well as by addressing the root causes of child labor.”
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Multi-billion dollar hydrogen project threatens indigenous rights and the environment, say critics
Environment
As reported by Al Jazeera, a company aiming to build a new green hydrogen project in Argentina’s Rio Negro province faces stiff criticism. Fortescue Future Industries says the project will create 15,000 jobs. Environmental activists say it could violate indigenous land rights and harm the natural environment, including endangering threatened Andean Condors. There is also the concern that although considered an important transition toward sustainable energy, that energy will actually be exported to the global north. The area is also home to dozens of indigenous communities, who campaigners say, as per the ILO’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, which Argentina has ratified, must be consulted and provide informed consent before the project can proceed.
Grant D. Jacobsen says “When local economies go through an energy boom, public policies may help smooth out the boom-and-bust cycle and offer an avenue for more sustained improvement in labor market conditions.”
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Green energy and jobs
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African leaders question how female businesses are supported
Program evaluation
Quartz tells us that “Despite the fact that women run most small and medium scale businesses in Africa, they have a $42 billion gap in funding versus men.” Liberia’s vice president, Jewel Taylor, questioned this week the reliance on microcredit payments for Africa’s female-owned businesses. “How does a woman grow and develop her business,” Taylor said, if the big money pots available to men are out of reach? Taylor is joined by former Malawian president Joyce Banda, and Ethiopian president Sahle-Work Zewde, among others, in demanding action that will lead to more women learning science in school and choosing business as a career.
“[L]abor force participation rates paint only a partial picture of women’s work. More important is understanding the quality of women’s employment,” says Sher Verick in his IZA World of Labor article.
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Female labor force participation and development
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Female labor force participation
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Opinions
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How to support the self-employed in developing countries
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Panel discussion on labor-force participation issues: Hie Joo Ahn, John Coglianese & Jason Faberman
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