A selection of Peter's stories is shown below, documenting symptomatic trends of the global economy and its political, social and human consequences.

Speed Up! - Addressing forced labor risks in car, bicycle and electronicS INDUSTRIES

Summary report with cases on migrant worker conditions at Taiwanese manufacturers.

Le monde diplomatique (2025): The bicycle industry’s dirty secret

Cycling may be green but Taiwan, the global centre of bicycle manufacturing, has built an industry on migrant labour and dodgy employment practices.

(In German by Le Monde diplomatique Germany and Le Monde diplomatique Switzerland)

(Coverage by Bike Europe and Ride MBT)

Ethical Consumer (2025): Shining a light on forced migrant labor in Taiwan

Peter Bengtsen explains how three years of naming western brands linked to modern slavery practices in Taiwan is beginning to bear fruit, but more needs to be done by the cycle maker, Giant.

Le Monde Diplomatique (2024): Are Tour de France bike-makers overlooking forced labor risks?

Giant, Trek, Scott and Shimano are being scrutinised over debt-bonded workers at manufacturing sites in Asia.

(Coverage in Dutch by Trouw)

The Diplomat (2024): Migrant workers pay sky-high fees to expand Taiwan’s biggest airport

Vietnamese and Thai construction workers risk debt bondage at state-owned international airport.

(Coverage in Korean by Fortune Korea)

The Oriental Economist (2024): Allegations of forced labor at Japanese auto parts supplier in Taiwan

Car parts for Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi vehicles are made by migrant workers at risk of forced labor.

Toyo Keizai (2024): 台湾の日系自動車向け部品会社で強制労働の疑惑トヨタ､日産､ホンダ､三菱はどう答えるのか

Japanese: 日本の自動車メーカーが、台湾での人権侵害リスクに直面している。ベトナムやフィリピン、インドネシアなどの出稼ぎ労働者を現地の子会社やパートナー企業が雇用。その際に、労働者が本国のブローカーなどに多額の借金をする事例が後を絶たず、人権問題として持ち上がっている。グローバルサプライチェーンの問題に精通する筆者は調査チームを組織し、台湾での問題の実態解明に取り組んできた。

The Diplomat (2023): Debt Bondage in Space, and Taiwan

More compensations to migrant workers, and more debt bondage risks in Taiwanese firms supplying multinational satellite, electronic, and car companies:

• New cases on SpaceX/Starlink, ASUS, Ford, GM, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Verizon, Nokia, Flex, Echostar/HughesNet, more.

• Update on below-standard remediations in previous investigative cases on GM, Bosch, Continental, Hella, Magna, Visteon, more.

The Diplomat (2023): Debt bondage payouts mark progress but fail to make migrant workers whole in Taiwan

Suppliers of General Motors, Opel, Continental, Bosch, Hella, Magna, and Walmart have repaid over $2.5 million to migrant employees in two of my investigative cases, but still fall short of full reimbursements.

Le Monde diplomatigue (2023): Migrant workers squeezed in Taiwan

What are Walmart, L’Oreal, Bosch and Continental doing about debt bondage risks in Taiwanese supply chains?

TAGESSCHAU (2023): Erste Entschädigungen für Wanderarbeiter

German: Wanderarbeiter bei taiwanesischen Zulieferern von Bosch, Continental und Hella riskieren seit Jahren, in die Schuldknechtschaft zu geraten. Nach Unterlagen, die dem SWR exklusiv vorliegen, werden erste Arbeiter nun teilweise entschädigt.

Le Monde diplomatique (2022): MODERNE ZWANGSARBEIT IN TAIWAN

German: Wie sich die deutsche Autoindustrie aus der Verantwortung stiehlt.

(Republished by Die Tageszeitung)

NRC (2022): Vietnamese arbeidsmigrant betaalt 6.000 euro baan achter de lopende band

Dutch: Vietnamese arbeidsmigranten betaalden zo’n 6.000 euro voor een baan bij een Taiwanese toeleverancier van het Nederlandse DSM-concern. De schulden die ze ervoor maakten, vergroten het risico op dwangarbeid.

The Diplomat (2022): The Vietnamese Debt Bondage Gamble

Workers pay the equivalent of three to four years wages at home in Vietnam to get access to jobs abroad at suppliers of major international brands.

The Diplomat (2022): After pressure, growing transparency in Malaysia’s glove industry

From rock bottom four years ago, much of Malaysia’s glove industry has embarked on efforts to achieve greater transparency and better conditions

The Guardian (2022): uk faces legal action for approving firm accused of using forced labour as Ppe supplier

High court to review government’s decision to include subsidiary of Malaysia’s Supermax in £6bn ‘framework’ deal for buying gloves

The Guardian (2022): ‘A bad dream’ (not by me but refers to my investigative work)

Glove manufacturer Supermax has repeatedly won NHS contracts during the pandemic, despite claims of forced labour

The Guardian (2021): REvealed - the secret ‘forced labour’ migration route from vietnam to the uk

Observer investigation uncovers new trafficking gateway to the west after 500 migrants found in shocking conditions in Serbia

THE DIPLOMAT (2021): Debt Bondage Payouts Flow to Workers in Malaysia’s Glove Industry

Has an American import ban and the repayment of over $100 million to migrant workers by glove makers reduced forced labor risks?

Der Spiegel (2021): SO werden Einweghandschuhe für Deutschland hergestellt

German: In Malaysias Einweghandschuhindustrie zahlen Wanderarbeiter exorbitante Gebühren, um einen Job zu bekommen. Sie begeben sich in eine Art Schuldknechtschaft, auch für deutsche Gesundheitsdienstleister.

(English summary on Business-Humanrights.org)

Le monde diplomatique (2021): Du sang et des larmes sur les gants malaisiens

French: L’esclavage au cœur des chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales: Alors que l’utilisation des gants en latex ou en nitrile explose avec la pandémie de Covid-19, les industriels de Malaisie, premiers producteurs mondiaux, profitent d’une main-d’œuvre à bon marché en provenance des pays pauvres voisins.

(In German by Le Monde diplomatique Germany and Le Monde diplomatique Switzerland and Die Tageszeitung)

(In English by Le Monde diplomatique UK/Global)

(In Italian by Le Monde diplomatique Italy)

(In Spanish by Le Monde diplomatique Spain and Le Monde diplomatique Argentina)

(In Portuguese by Le Monde diplomatique Portugal and Le Monde diplomatique Brazil)

(In Greek by Le Monde diplomatique Greece)

(In Japanese by Le Monde diplomatique Japan)

(In Korean by Le Monde diplomaatique South Korea)

The Guardian (2021): Tesco and Next among brands linked to labour abuses in India spinning mills (not by me, but refers to my investigative work)

Supermarket says it will investigate report on forced labour in Tamil Nadu garment chain and ensure improvements are made.

CNA - UNDERCOVER ASIA (2021): The ugly side of beauty (not by me, but contains interview with me)

Award-winning documentary that paints a nuanced picture of mica mining, child labour, bondage risks, supply chain challenges.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (2020): Beyond social audits in supply chains

How do we adequately and systemically monitor for cross-border supply chain abuses in a way that goes beyond the status quo, i.e. flawed private social audits and fragmented civil society efforts?

Global Policy Journal (2020): WHY are monitory democracies not monitoring supply chain slavery?

Legislation in Europe is increasingly drafted to penalize companies for abuses in cross-border supply chains, but none of the new laws and proposals address how to credibly monitor for and identify abuses.

Weekendavisen (2020): Gummihandsker og gældsslaveri

Danish: Mange af gummihandskerne i den danske sundhedssektor kommer fra Malaysia, hvor gældsslaveri fastholder tusindvis af migrantarbejdere fra fattige asiatiske lande i underbetalte jobs på fabrikkerne. USA indfører importforbud, mens Danmark stoler på leverandørerne.

The Guardian (2020): NHS urged to avoid PPE gloves made in ‘slave-like’ conditions (NOT bY ME, BUT REFERS TO MY INVESTIGATIVE WORK)

In securing PPE for NHS staff working on coronavirus frontline, government must not ignore abuse of factory workers, warn activists.

The Diplomat (2019): Clean gloves, dirty practices

Migrant workers in Malaysia risk forced labor making rubber gloves for American healthcare giants.

THE DIPLOMAT (2019): India’s miners of glittery mica deadlocked in debt traps

After years of increasing attention to child labor, debt traps and risks of bondage are under-reported but widespread.

Le Monde Diplomatique (2019): Mica mining, why watchdogs count

If everybody now knows about glittery mica, part of the solution is still overlooked: the role of corporate watchdogs.

THE DIPLOMAT (2018): CHINA'S FORCED LABOUR PROBLEM

Forced labor in China receives remarkably little attention despite decades as the world’s factory floor.

Opendemocracy (2018): Hidden in plain sight - forced labour constructing China

Invisible coercion through withheld wages, lack of employment contracts, and discrimination of migrant workers is widespread in China's construction sector.

le monde diplomatique (2018): chinese new year, but where's the money?

‘We drove more than 2000 km from Beijing to Shenzhen and handed out over 10,000 questionnaires along the way,’ said (...)

Weekendavisen (2018): Byggeboom uden betaling

Danish: Manglende eller tilbageholdte lønninger er et stort problem i Kinas byggebranche og fører til et hav af konflikter. Branchen er præget af arbejdere fra landet uden lokale netværk, som er sårbare over for skrupelløse arbejdsgivere.

The Guardian (2018): Workers held captive in indian mills supplying hugo boss

Guardian inquiry into concerns raised by Hugo Boss reveals Tamil Nadu firm, which also supplies major UK brands, stops women leaving factory

Weekendavisen (2017): Det kinesiske kastesystem

Danish: 250 millioner kinesere er de seneste årtier migreret fra land til by på jagt efter arbejde. Mange bor i særlige bydele, chengzhongcun, med langt dårligere adgang til boligstøtte, undervisning og lægehjælp. Regeringen lover reformer, men Beijings bystyre sender bulldozere.

The Guardian (2017): Chinese factory supplying major laptop brands accused of student labour abuses

Watchdog claims Chinese factory supplying Sony, HP, Acer and others makes funding and graduation of student interns contingent on working 12-hour shifts.

The Guardian (2017): John Lewis and Habitat withdraw granite worktops over slavery concerns

Supply chains of high street retailers under scrutiny after investigators uncover evidence of human rights violations and child labour in Indian stone quarries.

(Also published in The Observer newspaper)

Der Spiegel (2017): Kratzer im Glitzerlack

German: Konzerne wie BMW oder VW verwenden Glimmer, um ihre Autos zum Glänzen zu bringen. Das Mineral stammt jedoch oft aus dubiosen Quellen.

The Guardian (2017): Major car paint suppliers join initiative against child labour in mica mines

PPG & Axalta join scheme after Guardian report linked paint used by Vauxhall, BMW & VW with mines in India reliant on child labour & debt bondage.

The Guardian (2017): India to legalize mica mining (quotes only)

Move comes a year after Guardian investigations revealed an estimated 20,000 children engaged in mining the glittery mineral used in car paint and makeup.

Le Monde diplomatique (2017): Chinese songs of dignity

‘Music is our voice to Chinese society. The voices of migrant workers are rarely heard’, says Cheng, a rock bandleader and activist. We met in the backroom of a small shop in a suburb of Shenzhen, China’s manufacturing metropolis.

(Also published in CounterPunch)

The Guardian (2016): Beauty companies and the struggle to source child-free mica

Nearly a decade after child labour in mica mining came to light, the cosmetic industry's progress on cleaning up its supply chain for the glittery mineral has been slow and tricky.

The Guardian (2016): Vauxhall and BMW among car firms linked to child labour over glittery mica paint

Paint used by car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi linked to illegal mines in India reliant on child labour and debt bondage.

Weekendavisen (2016): Usynlige lænker

Danish: Trods årtiers økonomisk vækst og en betydelig reduktion af fattigdommen er millioner af indere stadig trælbundne i gældsslaveri. Fænomenet er tæt forbundet med den omfattende diskrimination af grupper, der befinder sig i bunden af landets kastesystem, og som ofte selv opfatter uretfærdigheden som et uomgængeligt vilkår.

Le Monde diplomatique (2016): Love on China's factory floor

When Ying, 18, arrived in Shenzhen from Guangxi’s countryside to enter the 168-million migrant workforce that makes up China’s factory floor, she was the image of a migrant worker — of rural origin, young, hardworking, poorly-educated, low-paid, with no energy for out-of-work activities or socialising — and single. But then she fell in love.

(Also published in CounterPunch)

Le Monde diplomatique (2015): Football giants don’t check on sponsors

Next to the World Cups, most football money goes to top European clubs, which are getting better at their own social responsibility but aren’t yet holding their sponsors to account.

Next to the World Cups, most football money goes to top European clubs, which are getting better at their own social responsibility but aren’t yet holding their sponsors to account.

Le Monde diplomatique (English ed.) is a European newspaper.

Esperanto: La plimulton de futbala mono ricevas, unue, la Mondaj Pokaloj, kaj due la pintaj eŭropaj kluboj, kiuj laŭpaŝe pliboniĝas je sia propra socia respondeco sed ankoraŭ ne devigas siajn sponsorojn porti siajn respondecojn.

Le Monde diplomatique (Esparanto ed.) is a European newspaper.

German: Der frühere Fußballprofi Abdeslam Ouaddou aus Marokko will den FC Barcelona dazu bewegen, die Zusammenarbeit mit Sponsor Qatar Airways aufzugeben.

Der Spiegel is a German news magazine.

Danish: Menneskerettigheder står ikke højt på dagsordenen, når Golfstaternes sponsorfirmaer tilbyder topklubber millionkontrakter.

Politiken is a Danish newspaper.

India’s tanning industry has started tackling environmental issues but its progress on worker safety is woeful. Illness and deaths linked to toxic tanning chemicals appear worryingly common.

The Ecologist is a British consumer and environmental magazine.

Cattle crammed into trucks, calves hurled on their backs and other serious animal welfare abuses happen daily in India. Despite ambitious legislation, animal welfare is a concept the leather industry are yet to embrace.

The Ecologist is a British consumer and environmental magazine.

Danish: Produktionen af lædersko efterlader et massivt aftryk på mennesker, dyr og miljø. End ikke de bedste producenter har styr på alle led i produktionsforløbet.

Tænk is a Danish consumer magazine.

From India to Indonesia pepper farmers are increasingly vulnerable to harvest failures, food price crashes and price fixing.

The Ecologist is a British consumer and environmental magazine.

Danish: I Indien og Indonesien betaler peberbønderne en høj pris for at dyrke de små korn. Gældsproblemer, selvmord, udpining af jorden og overforbrug af sprøjtegifte er realiteten i pebermarkerne.

Tænk is a Danish consumer magazine.

Swedish: Pepparodlarna i Indien och Indonesien får alldeles för lite betalt och fastnar i fattigdom och skuldfällor. Fairtrade, där odlarna garanteras ett rimligt pris för sin peppar, är en lösning. Men de svenska leverantörerna är måttligt intresserade.

Råd&Rön is a Swedish consumer magazine.

Finnish: Selvitimme, missä ja millaisissa oloissa pippuri kasvaa.

Kuluttaja Magazine is a Finnish consumer magazine.

Peter Bengtsen, of Danish organisation DanWatch, travelled to Brazil to investigate working conditions at the bottom of the sweets supply chain.

Ethical Consumer is a British consumer magazine.

Danish: Slikket i posen fra Haribo, Toms og Leaf indeholder palmevoks, som underbetalte landarbejdere i Brasilien udvinder under primitive forhold.

Politiken is a Danish newspaper.

Swedish: I Brasilien arbetar underbetalda och oskyddade tonåringar med att skörda vax från karnaubapalmen. Ett vax som sedan hamnar på ytan till vårt svenska smågodis, i kosmetika, polermedel och mycket mer. 

Råd&Rön is a Swedish consumer magazine.

Finnish: Olipa pussissa salmiakkia tai hedelmää, monien karkkien valmistukseen käytetään karnaubavahaa. Vahaa kerätään Brasiliassa surkeissa, jopa vaarallisissa oloissa.

Kuluttaja Magazine is a Finnish consumer magazine.

Danish: Det er svært som forbruger at blive klog på, hvordan supermarkeder omsætter flotte ord om anstændige arbejdsforhold i fattige lande til konkret praksis.

Tænk is a Danish consumer magazine.

Danish: Ananasproducenter i Costa Rica leverer frugt til supermarkeder i Danmark, men tilbyder ikke rimelige arbejdsvilkår til sine ansatte.

Tænk is a Danish consumer magazine.

Danish: EU-regler begrænser offentlige indkøbere i at kræve social ansvarlighed hos leverandører. Det offentlige køber fx hvert år over 50 millioner gummihandsker, men kan ikke stille generelle krav til leverandører om at sikre ordentlige produktionsforhold.

Djøfbladet is a Danish union magazine.

If you have savings in one of the biggest pension funds in Denmark, you risk contributing financially not only to your retirement, but also to corruption and oppression in Africa.

DanWatch is a Danish investigative media.

Danish: Når danske virksomheder satser på forretning i udlandet, følger nye etiske udfordringer i kølvandet. Danske rådgivende konsulentvirksomheder har veludviklede strategier om at tage samfundsansvar, men der er nogle gange langt fra papir til praksis.

Djøfbladet is a Danish union magazine.

Danish: Flere af konsulentvirksomheden Rambølls samarbejdspartnere ansætter asiatiske migrantarbejdere under forhold, som eksperter betegner som moderne slaveri.

Djøfbladet is a Danish union magazine.

Copyrights belong to the media specified at each of the stories - and most of the times to Peter Bengtsen as well.