April 2013
 

Verité Up Close: Two Types of Change

by Dan Viederman, Verité CEO

Two weeks ago, I spoke at Clinton Global Initiative University on a panel devoted to the subject of human trafficking. My role, as usual, was to speak to what businesses can do to rid their supply chains of labor abuses. I brought up Apple’s admirable approach to migrant workers in its overseas assembly. The moderator challenged me, reflecting on all of Apple’s bad press in recent years. I pointed out that Apple is perhaps the only company to denominate its social responsibility in terms of money returned to workers—they have demanded their suppliers reimburse a total of $13.1 million to contract workers since 2008, including $6.4 million in 2012. [Read more]

Latest News: CNN Money on Verité

CNNMoney reports on efforts by brands to combat human trafficking and unfair labor practices, including prominent mention of Verité’s work.

“Dan Viederman, Verité's CEO, said it is common for unscrupulous labor recruiters to demand 20 months in wages from uneducated workers in rural areas for a shot at a two year job in a far off city... It's this debt bondage, Viederman said, that renders workers powerless in the face of long hours, unsafe conditions or sexual harassment.” [Read more] 

What We're Talking About: Verité Supports UN Special Rapporteur to Achieve "Trafficking-Free Supply Chains"

by Philip Hunter, Program Specialist, Verité

The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Ms. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, convened an experts' consultation in Ankara, Turkey, on human trafficking and global supply chains this past November. Verité participated in the consultation, which resulted in a key new resource called Benchmarks and Indicators for Ensuring Trafficking-Free Supply Chains. We also produced the background paper for the consultation, available here. [Read more]