A dedicated website has been launched on the 10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention​

Illustration: http://www.coordination-vaw.gv.at/istanbul-konvention/

On the occasion of 10 years of the Istanbul Convention, a dedicated website has been launched, to mark the anniversary of adopting this important document on May 11.

Danas: How prevalent is labor exploitation in Europe during COVID-19 pandemic?

Photograph:  EPA-EFE/ JUSTIN LANE

An increasing number of people are losing their jobs, and the existing practices of workers' abuse in certain industries place labor exploitation at the forefront.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, organization Atina has, with the support of the Council of Europe, been particularly focused on the prevention of labor exploitation in the context of human trafficking. 

The hidden form of labor exploitation: domestic servitude during COVID-19

Illustration: https://umdgenderandglobalization.wordpress.com/

The pandemic had unforeseen impacts in many countries and different groups of people experience it differently. One of the most impacted groups were domestic workers, especially those who are being exploited in domestic servitude.

More than 30 million people are currently exploited in labor; children are also affected by this phenomenon, and the most common type of labor exploitation is that of children living and working on the streets, said the Prosecutor of the State Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sena Uzunović, at the Specialized Mentoring Session for Representatives of Local Teams implemented by Citizens’ Association Atina in five cities of the Republic of Serbia - Šabac, Niš, Vranje, Sremska Mitrovica and Subotica.

Exploited workers in Europe’s slaughterhouses

Photograph: https://www.canva.com/

Meat factories in Europe have been exposed as one of the most infections hotspots for COVID-19. Researchers, journalists, and activists are concerned that this is related to exploitative working conditions, which were made worse by the pandemic. Inadequate housing and low wages in the leading European meat producing countries, such as Germany, are the likeliest explanation for the outbreaks.

Labor exploitation of truck drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Photograph: www.ttnews.com

International federation of trade unions recently released a report about how contracted foreign drivers from low-wage countries were being exploited by the transport industry.

Impact of COVID-19 on labor exploitation of migrants at Europe’s farmlands

The pandemic and child labor

On the occasion of the World Day against trafficking in Persons, the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) joins the Inter-agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (UN-ICAT) in calling for additional support to frontline professionals detecting and assisting victims of human trafficking (