Each week the Freedom Fund compiles the most insightful and timely news stories about modern slavery. Check out what we’re reading in this week’s roundup of top slavery articles.

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Thai businesses must act to curb abuses at home and abroad – U.N.
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 4 April 2018
Thailand’s fishing industry has made progress in curbing abuse, but measures to prevent rights violations must now be adopted in other sectors, and by Thai firms operating overseas, United Nations experts said this week.

The harrowing plight of migrants at sea
Dhaka Tribune, 4 April 2018
Every year up to a million workers from Bangladesh go abroad in search of new opportunities. The channels to migrate are strewn with hazards, and criminal networks often capitalise on the dreams of illiterate, poor job seekers.

Meet Dorsen, 8, who mines cobalt to make your smartphone work
Sky News, 3 April 2018
An investigation has found children as young as four working in Congolese mines where cobalt is extracted for smartphones. The mineral is an essential component of batteries for smartphones, yet many of those working to extract it are earning as little as 8p a day in desperately dangerous conditions.

Funding boost for human trafficking support groups
BBC News, 2 April 2018
Charities which support victims of human trafficking are to receive more than £3m from the Scottish government. The announcement follows new figures showing a marked rise in reports to police in Scotland of suspected human trafficking.

Ethiopian domestic worker in Lebanon recounts abuses she suffered
Global Voices, 31 March 2018
Lensa, who is from Ethiopia, is one of many migrant domestic workers in Lebanon forced to work and live in difficult conditions under Lebanon’s notorious “kafala” system.

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Photo credit: Lisa Kristine for the Freedom Fund