By Center for International Environmental Law and Vermont Law School

Latin America is, by far, the most dangerous region of the world for environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). The lack of effective guarantees of human rights protection in Latin American States has created this dire situation. The absence of effective safeguards is worsened by the weak rule of law in most Latin American countries, by worrying trends of impunity that corrode the fabric of society, and by the fact that environmental movements usually concern major development projects involving powerful governmental and corporate interests.

This report illustrates the severe human rights violations in Latin America against environmental defenders, who engage in lawful activities that bring to light environmental damage and human rights abuses. Though not exhaustive, this report provides an overview of recent incidents throughout Latin America. The incidents cited cover a range of human rights violations, including violent attacks, torture, disappearances, and killings.

London: Article 19; Center for International Environmental Law; Vermont Law School: 2016. 72p.

By Maureen Moriarty-Lempke, and Estacio Valoi

Stakeholders in the spheres of human rights and development have contributed literature describing how the use of exploited labor – including labor as the result of human trafficking – can contribute to deforestation. There is a parallel field of literature that documents the impacts that environmental degradation and deforestation can have on human populations. What both of these spheres lack, however, is documentation of the specific patterns of labor exploitation, human trafficking, and child labor experienced by workers directly involved in forestry and/or adjacent sectors, as well as the means by which deforestation can create vulnerabilities to human trafficking.

Amherst, MA: Verité , 2020. 165p.