EXPLOITATION
Satellite images aid antislavery research
Antislavery activists welcome the use of detailed satellite imagery to help identify brick kilns notorious for using millions of slaves, including children
London — Researchers in England are hoping to help root out slavery in northern India by using detailed satellite imagery to locate brick kilns — sites that are notorious for using millions of slaves, including children. A team of geospatial experts at the University of Nottingham use Google Maps and dozens of volunteers to identify potential sites of exploitation and report them to authorities. "The key thing … is to get those statistics right and to get the locations of the brick kilns sorted," said Doreen Boyd, researcher on the Slavery from Space project. "There are certainly activists on the ground that will help us in terms of getting the statistics and the locations of these brick kilns to [government] officials." Antislavery activists said the project could be useful in identifying remote kilns or mines that would otherwise escape public or official scrutiny. "But there are other, more pressing challenges such as tackling problematic practices including withheld wages, lack ...
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