Did you know?

• There are more slaves in the world today than at any time in human history
• For every one person enslaved in commercial sexual exploitation, there are 15 people trapped in other forms of forced labor and debt bondage.
• Debt bondage, according to the United Nations, is a form of modern day slavery and a global problem that is becoming increasingly pervasive.

The problem. Verité has encountered debt-bonded workers at an alarming rate in factories and farms making the goods that western consumers buy. People become bonded by debt when they are forced to work in order to repay loans or other obligations owed frequently to labor brokers who charge excessive fees at exorbitant interest.  Debt-bonded workers lose an average of 60% of their total wages to illegal fees and job placement costs.

In Verité's experience from workplace audits around the world, debt-bonded workers regularly face a wide range of abuses.  They are promised jobs that either do not exist or pay less than what was advertised. They are frequently forced to work overtime; face illegal deductions from their pay; suffer unhealthy and unsafe working conditions; are susceptible to physical, verbal and sexual harassment; and can be restricted from free movement (including the seizure of their passports to prevent them from returning home). Trapped in foreign countries, they are exploited by employers who receive kickbacks from brokers, and are ignored by governments that look the other way.

Verité's Solution. Verité is initiating a groundbreaking new model for hiring foreign contract laborers that is gaining acceptance among governments and multinational companies. In 2009, Verité will launch a pilot program to secure jobs under fair and legal conditions for Philippine immigrants in Taiwan, and then expand the program to additional Southeast Asian countries. The Verité program will facilitate direct connections between employers and contract workers, and negotiate a lower placement fee for workers. The anticipated outcome is a dramatic reduction in the incidence of debt bondage by eliminating the involvement of corrupt labor brokers in the sending countries. In addition, lowering workers' costs will assist in freeing workers from the crippling burden of debt bondage. Global brands, their suppliers and governments from both sending and receiving countries will provide material support to this initiative that streamlines employment practices, provides a fair opportunity for workers, and helps to end this form of modern day slavery.