Calls for mandatory human rights due diligence gain momentum internationally
KnowTheChain’s monthly newsletter shares worker perspectives, the latest from the KnowTheChain team, and updates and resources on forced labor in supply chains in the business and human rights sphere.
From us
An op-ed from the KnowTheChain team explains the importance of corporate due diligence being built upon with mandatory measures at a European level and beyond. The piece highlights data from KnowTheChain’s recent briefing on the way in which human rights due diligence targets forced labour.
From workers
A new report from Equidem details how workers who built and maintain Dubai’s lavish Expo 2020 site face exploitation, grim conditions and a wide range of labour rights abuses. The majority of workers interviewed for Equidem’s report were forced to pay illegal recruitment fees, often exceeding their monthly pay to obtain their jobs while employers were reportedly aware that workers paid fees to recruiters in their home countries without reimbursing them.
Forced labour: The latest developments
The European Commission adopted a legislative proposal for a directive for corporate sustainability due diligence to establish rules for companies to respect human rights and the environment in global supply chains. Read analyses and commentaries on the proposal.
The Japanese government has committed to drafting guidelines for human rights due diligence to advise companies in developing procedures to detect and prevent rights violations in their supply chains.
More than a dozen workers are suing Dyson in the UK over allegations of forced labour and exploitation at Malaysian supplier ATA Industrial. Allegations of abuse surfaced in 2019 and led to public and private investigations. Dyson denies wrongdoing but terminated its contract with the supplier “when it was not making improvements in a timely manner” following a social audit report from 2021 that indicated major forced labour risks.
For further news on forced labour in relation to business and human rights see the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre website.
Resources
A new report from a coalition of academic and civil society organisations determines companies are failing to comply with the Australian Modern Slavery Act and calls on the federal government to strengthen the law. The coalition calls for a range of measures, including penalties for companies failing to comply, mandatory due diligence requirements and improved access to justice for workers.
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