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Het is twee jaar sinds het baanbrekende rapport “Slaves to the System” gepresenteerd werd aan Jang Jin-sung, de voormalig hofdichter en elite bureaucraat van de Noord Koreaanse Kim-dynastie. Het rapport detailleerde voor het eerst empirisch de aanwezigheid van Noord-Koreaanse dwangarbeid binnen de Europese Unie, en verklaarde in duidelijke termen de gevolgen hiervan. Inmiddels is het rapport een keurmerk geworden van onderzoek naar dwangarbeid van overzeese Noord-Koreanen. Het is gebruikt in de vervolging van onderzoek bij de [ILO], is als vraagstuk behandeld in de Tweede Kamer, het Europese Parlement en is verworpen door het Noord Koreaanse regime. Op 6 februari wordt een nieuw rapport gepresenteerd.
De Noord-Koreaanse dwangarbeid is echter niet afgenomen, laat staan gestopt. In de EU gaat het verder is dezelfde mate als eerst. Bovendien blijkt nu Noord-Koreaanse dwangarbeid een groot aantal productieketens gepenetreerd te hebben, zowel binnen als buiten de EU.
Tijdens de conferentie op 6 februari presenteert het onderzoeksteam van het Slaves to the System project nieuwe casussen en breidt het uit op oude. Het rapport laat zien dat deze vorm van dwangarbeid aantrekkelijk is voor een veelvoud producenten en dat het Noord-Koreaanse regime een wereldwijd netwerk bezit waarmee het geld binnenhaalt ten koste van haar eigen burgers. Deze arbeiders bouwen in slechte omstandigheden standbeelden en musea in Afrika en Azië, boten voor Europese klanten, en leveren hun salaris bijna volledig in aan het regime die een financieel systeem heeft uitgewerkt waarmee moeiteloos VN sancties worden vermeden.
Direct na de conferentie vindt de wereldwijde première van de documentaire “Dollar Heroes”. Op viscerale wijze maakt deze documentaire duidelijk wat de omstandigheden van deze Noord-Koreaanse arbeiders zijn, en de mate waarin deze dwangarbeid over de wereld verspreid is. Deze documentaire is deel van een 6-delige documentaireserie dat aadacht besteedt aan moderne slavernij.
Reserveer een plaats voor de conferentie en de screening door je in te schrijven via het formulier onder aan de pagina.
Programma:
14:00 – 14:10 Introductie door Catelene Passchier, President Internationale Arbeids Organisatie Werknemers Groep
14:10 – 14:40 Rapport presentatie door Prof. Dr. Remco Breuker
14:40 – 14:55 Presentatie door Prof. Dr. Cedric Ryngaert
14:55 – 15:10 Presentatie door Prof. Dr. Larissa van den Herik
15:10 – 15:30 Moderated Q&A
15:30 – 15:40 Introductie van de documentaire “Dollar Heroes” door Sebastian Weis
15:40 – 16:40 Privé pre-screening documentaire “Dollar Heroes”
16:40 – 16:50 Slotwoord
16:50 – 18:00 Borrel
Prof. Dr. Ryngaert is Professor of Public International Law at Utrecht University. He heads a research project on how states can unilaterally protect and further global values such as human rights. He is the author of, among other publications, ‘Jurisdiction in International Law’ (OUP 2015, 2nd ed.). He recently published a piece on Criminal Accountability for Corporate Human Rights Abuses, in Criminal Law Forum.
Prof. Dr. Van den Herik is Vice Dean of Leiden Law School and professor of public international law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Leiden University. She is General Editor of the Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law. She also serves as general editor of the Leiden Journal of International Law (former Editor-in-Chief 2005-2013). Professor Van den Herik is chair of the ILA Study Group on UN Sanctions and International Law. She also holds the position of vice-chair of the Advisory Committee on Public International Law Issues to the Netherlands Government and has advised the government in that capacity, inter alia, on drones, cyber warfare, humanitarian assistance, and autonomous weapons systems.
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It has been two years since the ground-breaking report “Slaves to the System” was presented to Jang Jin-sung, the former poet and government official from of the North Korean Kim dynasty. The report stated the presence of North Korean forced labour within the European Union, and explained the consequences in clear terms. In the meantime, the report has become a hallmark of research into North Korean overseas forced labour. The report has been used in the prosecution of research at the [ILO], has been discussed in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, the European Parliament and has been rejected by the North Korean regime. On the 6th of February, a new report will be presented.
However, the number of North Korean forced labourers has not decreased, let alone stopped. In the EU the number of forced labourers still remains the same. In addition, it appears that North Korean forced labour is happening in a large number of production chains both inside and outside the EU.
During the conference on February 6th, the research team of the ‘Slaves to the System’-project will present new cases and will further expand on former cases, such as the Poland case. The new report will show that the North Korean regime has a worldwide network that exploits the labour of its citizens to as a source of state income. In poor conditions these workers build statues and museums in Africa and Asia, boats for European customers, and hand in their salaries almost entirely to the regime that has developed a financial system that effortlessly avoids UN sanctions.
At the conference, the worldwide premiere of the documentary “Dollar Heroes” will take place. This documentary makes clear how bad the circumstances of these North Korean workers are, and to what extent forced labour is spread all over the world. This documentary is part of a 6-part documentary series that focusses on modern slavery.
You can register by filling in the form below. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at events@leidenasiacentre.nl.
Programme
14:00 – 14:10 Introduction by Catelene Passchier, Chair of the International Labour Organization Workers’ Group
14:10 – 14:40 Report Presentation by Prof. Dr. Remco Breuker
14:40 – 14:55 Presentation by Prof. Dr. Cedric Ryngaert
14:55 – 15:10 Presentation by Prof. Dr. Larissa van den Herik
15:10 – 15:30 Moderated Q&A
15:30 – 15:40 Introduction of the documentary “Dollar Heroes” by Sebastian Weis
15:40 – 16:40 Private pre-screening of the documentary “Dollar Heroes”
16:40 – 16:50 Closing Conference
16:50 – 18:00 Drinks
Prof. Dr. Ryngaert is Professor of Public International Law at Utrecht University. He heads a research project on how states can unilaterally protect and further global values such as human rights. He is the author of, among other publications, ‘Jurisdiction in International Law’ (OUP 2015, 2nd ed.). He recently published a piece on Criminal Accountability for Corporate Human Rights Abuses, in Criminal Law Forum.
Prof. Dr. Van den Herik is Vice Dean of Leiden Law School and professor of public international law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies at Leiden University. She is General Editor of the Cambridge Studies in International and Comparative Law. She also serves as general editor of the Leiden Journal of International Law (former Editor-in-Chief 2005-2013). Professor Van den Herik is chair of the ILA Study Group on UN Sanctions and International Law. She also holds the position of vice-chair of the Advisory Committee on Public International Law Issues to the Netherlands Government and has advised the government in that capacity, inter alia, on drones, cyber warfare, humanitarian assistance, and autonomous weapons systems.
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