Record $540,000 infringement for migrant worker exploitation

​​​​​​A New South Wales resident has been issued a record $540,000 infringement notice for serious breaches of the Migration Act 1958, following an extensive Australian Border Force (ABF) investigation into an …

Human trafficking lawsuit against US shrimp importer wins appeal, back in court

A human trafficking lawsuit originally brought against California-based Rubicon Resources in 2016 and dismissed in 2018 has resurfaced after an appeals court remanded it for another look. The lawsuit alleged …

New Zealand MPs push ahead with tough anti-slavery rules

New Zealand’s new modern slavery bill has earned praise from Australia’s anti‑slavery commissioner for its tough criminal and civil penalties against companies that profit from human rights abuses.  In a rare …

Modern Slavery Bill, Member’s Bill 242—1

This Bill is jointly sponsored by two members in accordance with Standing Order 277(1). The Bill’s purpose is to implement a statutory framework to strengthen and coordinate actions to combat …

Kmart faces court over Australian Uyghur challenge

The legal challenge against retail giant Kmart filed by Australian Uyghurs will be heard in the Federal Court of Australia today.   The Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association (AUTWA) is seeking documents to determine whether Kmart engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct about the use …

Xinjiang cotton express train raises due diligence fears

A leading forced labour expert has warned that the launch of China’s first high-speed ‘express’ cotton train – linking the Xinjiang region with eastern textile hubs – raises sourcing fears …

Kenyan job seekers were lured to Russia, then sent to die in Ukraine

Hundreds of Kenyans have been recruited by the Russian military to serve on the front lines in Ukraine, according to former recruits and their families. Many have never returned. Most …

The Taliban’s New Criminal Regulation Legalizes Slavery, Violence, and Repression of Women

On January 7, 2026, the Taliban’s emir issued a two-point decree formally endorsing a new Criminal Procedural Regulations for Courts (119 articles, 3 chapters, 10 sections) and announcing that it would take effect …

Everyone Gets A Cut, and Migrant Workers Pay the Price

The migrant worker — indebted, jobless and stranded in a foreign country — tried to keep it together as he picked up the phone to call his wife. His name …

Behind Oklahoma Cannabis Farms, New Yorkers With Ties to Beijing

The police found him in his bedroom in Edmond, Okla., facedown, dead from a gunshot wound and still gripping the bloody kitchen knife he had used to try to defend …