Contemporary slavery on Notably News

Contemporary slavery

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2024	KK Park Deutsche Welle investigation revealed that workers at KK Park are subjected to 17-hour workdays, constant surveillance, torture, and threats of murder when attempting to escape. Workers' passports and cell phones were confiscated to prevent unmonitored communication.
2024	KK Park The KNU announced an investigation into five of its members accused of having connections with KK Park, and committed to cooperating with China and Thailand to eliminate criminal activities in the border area.
2024	KK Park US government released the Trafficking in Persons Report, criticizing the Myanmar junta government for ineffective efforts to address human trafficking operations at KK Park, noting negligible progress in victim identification, protection, and prevention.
2024	Scam center A congressional investigation of a Tarlac POGO hub led to the arrest of Bamban mayor Alice Guo, her alleged sister Shiela Guo, and sister-in-law Cassandra Ong.
August 2024	Scam center The secretary of the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers announced plans to collect statements from Filipino victims of fraud factories in Laos to identify local recruiters and prepare legal charges.
August 2024	Scam center 162 foreign nationals were rescued from scam hubs illegally operating as POGOs in Cebu.
July 2024	Scam center Brig. Gen. Zaw Min was given a death sentence for his alleged role in online scam operations.
March 2024	Scam center Brig. Gen. Zaw Min, a former Regional Operations Command chief of Laukkai, was imprisoned by Myanmar's military government for alleged involvement in online scam operations.
March 2024	Scam center Interpol estimated that Southeast Asian organized crime networks generate combined revenues of $2 to $3 trillion per year, with typical criminal organizations making $50 billion annually.
March 2024	Scam center Over 800 Filipinos and foreign nationals were rescued from a large scam hub in Bamban, Tarlac, which was raided for alleged illegal activities including crypto and love scams.
January 5 2024	Scam center The Three Brotherhood Alliance fully captured the city of Laukkai in Kokang, resulting in over 40,000 people involved in fraud factories being returned to China.
2023	The Hershey Company Hershey entered the plant-based chocolate market with dairy alternative products marketed as Plant Based Extra Creamy and Plant Based Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
2023	KK Park Indian embassy in Yangon requested Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist in rescuing and repatriating Indian nationals trafficked into KK Park. The Ministry of External Affairs tracked and identified fake job recruitment agents within India.
2023	Scam center United Nations Human Rights Office estimated at least 120,000 people trafficked to Myanmar's online scam compounds and 100,000 in Cambodia.
November 2023	Scam center China issued arrest warrants for junta-aligned Ming Xuechang and three other Ming family members for involvement in online scamming operations. Ming subsequently committed suicide, while the other three family members were captured by Burmese authorities and handed over to China.
October 27 2023	Scam center The Three Brotherhood Alliance launched Operation 1027 against the Myanmar military regime, with a specific goal of eradicating scam centers in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.
August 17 2023	The Hershey Company Hershey repurchased their Smiths Falls, Ontario plant for $53 million from cannabis company Canopy Growth.
June 7 2023	KK Park Thai authorities officially stopped power supply to KK Park and Shwe Kokko after the Myanmar military junta failed to renew the power supply contract.
May 2023	Scam center Philippine Senate's Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality conducted an inquiry into illegal activities in scam hubs, resulting in raids in Clark, Pampanga that rescued 1,300 victims and seized over ₱180 million in cash.
2022	Harkin–Engel Protocol Continued monitoring and assessment of progress in eliminating child labor in cocoa production, following the initial 2001 international agreement.
2022	Harkin–Engel Protocol The lawsuit filed in 2021 was dismissed due to the plaintiffs' lack of legal standing.
2022	Scam center The term 'fraud factory' first appeared in a Sydney Morning Herald article about Southeast Asian scams and human trafficking, coined by Jan Santiago of the Global Anti-Scam Organization (GASO).
2022	Scam center BBC News reported the locations of fraud factories in Laos and Myanmar, particularly in Kachin, highlighting the challenges of rescue operations due to ongoing conflict.
2022	Scam center The Japan Times reported that scam operation factories originally in Cambodia relocated to Laos and Myanmar, with victims being held in special economic zones and casinos.
November 2022	Scam center A Kenyan victim died after a botched organ harvesting operation associated with a fraud factory in Myanmar.
August 2022	KK Park Karen National Union (KNU) militants attacked the Myanmar military junta's Border Guard Force stronghold, leading to the suspension of many KK Park scam operations.
August 2022	KK Park Myanmar military junta conducted massive sweeps targeting hundreds of internet fraud companies in Myawaddy, forcing these companies to relocate to Yangon. The KK Park complex was significantly impacted by these operations.
August 2022	Scam center Kenyan embassy in Thailand began rescuing human trafficking victims from fraud factories, ultimately facilitating the rescue of 76 victims from Kenya, Uganda, and Burundi between August and late September.
2021	KK Park Construction of the KK Park complex was largely completed, though additional construction work continued.
2021	Harkin–Engel Protocol Status update indicates ongoing efforts to address child labor in cocoa supply chains, suggesting continued relevance of the original protocol.
2021	Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe Cocoa continued to be the primary cash crop, accounting for 54% of the country's exports.
2021	Harkin–Engel Protocol International Rights Advocates filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight former child workers, accusing multinational chocolate producers of child labor, based partly on the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
2021	Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe Cocoa exports comprised 54% of São Tomé and Príncipe's total exports, highlighting the crop's critical importance to the national economy.
2021	Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe 30% of São Toméan cocoa was classified as high-quality 'fine cocoa' (no defects) or 'flavour cocoa' (few defects), reflecting the country's growing focus on cocoa quality and international market standards.
November 2021	The Hershey Company Hershey announced plans to acquire Dot's Homestyle Pretzels and their co-packer, Pretzel INC for $1.2 billion.
June 2021	The Hershey Company Hershey acquired Lily's for $425 million.
2020	Harkin–Engel Protocol Extended deadline for reducing child labor in cocoa production by 70% in Ivory Coast and Ghana.
2019	KK Park Construction of the KK Park fraud complex began, marking the establishment of a large-scale internet scam operation in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
2019	Cocoa production in São Tomé and Príncipe HBD Príncipe built a chocolate factory on the former site of Roça Sundy plantation in Príncipe, transforming the former plantation owner's residence into a hotel.
October 2019	The Hershey Company Hershey collaborated with Yuengling to produce a limited release beer titled Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter.
August 2019	The Hershey Company Hershey announced the purchase of protein bar maker One Brands LLC for $397 million.
2018	Sweatshop China planned to raise minimum wage by approximately 7% in 10 provinces by the end of the year.
2018	Harkin–Engel Protocol The status update period for the Harkin–Engel Protocol concluded, likely assessing the achievements and challenges in addressing child labor in the cocoa industry.
2018	Harkin–Engel Protocol Nestlé conducted a 3-year pilot program with 26,000 farmers in Côte d'Ivoire, observing a 51% decrease in children performing hazardous cocoa farming jobs.
October 2018	Harkin–Engel Protocol Tulane University professor William Bertrand stated that conditions for child labor had not significantly changed, despite some positive developments.
September 2018	The Hershey Company Hershey purchased Pirate Brands from B&G Foods for $420 million in an all-cash deal.
April 2018	Harkin–Engel Protocol Cocoa Barometer 2018 report concluded that no company or government was near reaching the objective of eliminating child labor or achieving a 70% reduction by 2020.
March 9 2018	The Hershey Company Hershey broke ground to expand its Kit Kat manufacturing facility in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, with a $60 million budget and plans to create 111 additional jobs.
2017	The Hershey Company Hershey acquired Amplify Snack Brands, the Austin, Texas-based manufacturer of SkinnyPop in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.6 billion.
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