Fruits of Labor

FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2020, file photo, women from age 6 to 102 in a family that has worked on a palm oil plantation for five generations hold out the palms of their hands in Malaysia. The U.S. said it will ban all shipments of palm oil from one of the world’s biggest producers after finding indicators of forced labor and other abuses on plantations that feed into the supply chains of some of America’s most famous food and cosmetic companies. (AP Photo/File)

US bans second Malaysian palm oil giant over forced labor

The U.S. said it will ban all shipments of palm oil from one of the world’s biggest producers after finding indicators of forced labor and other abuses on plantations that feed into the supply chains of some of America’s most famous food and cosmetic companies.
December 30, 2020
Ima, a girl who works informally to help her parents in a palm oil plantation, poses for a portrait in Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018. She was just 10 years old when she joined the throngs of children working on vast plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, which supply 85% of the world's palm oil, used in a dizzying array of products sold by leading Western food and cosmetics brands. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Child labor in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies

December 30, 2020
A child carries palm kernels collected from the ground across a creek at a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Child labor has long been a dark stain on the $65 billion global palm oil industry. Though often denied or minimized as kids simply helping their families on weekends or after school, it has been identified as a problem by human rights groups, the United Nations and the U.S. government. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Child labor in palm oil industry tied to Girl Scout cookies

December 30, 2020
A woman who sprays pesticides in a palm oil plantation blames her red, irritated eyes on the chemicals she works with, in Sumatra, Indonesia, Saturday, Sep. 16, 2017. Many female workers spray toxic chemicals and spread fertilizers without wearing any protective gear. (AP Photo/Margie Mason)

AP investigation: Female palm oil workers face abuse, no pay

November 18, 2020
A female worker sprays herbicide in a palm oil plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia, on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018. Many women are hired by subcontractors on a day-to-day basis without benefits, performing the same jobs for the same companies for years and even decades. They often work without pay to help their husbands meet otherwise impossible daily quotas. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Rape, abuses in palm oil fields linked to top beauty brands

November 18, 2020

More News

A little girl holds palm oil fruit collected from a plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia, Nov. 13, 2017. An Associated Press investigation has found many palm oil workers in Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia endure exploitation, including child labor. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer

September 30, 2020
A little girl holds palm oil fruit collected from a plantation in Sumatra, Indonesia, Nov. 13, 2017. An Associated Press investigation has found many palm oil workers in Indonesia and neighboring Malaysia endure exploitation, including child labor. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Palm oil labor abuses linked to world’s top brands, banks

September 25, 2020