Join Us for a Webinar on Forced Labor Remediation on 30 June
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 Workers
SOMO and Arisa interviewed 725 workers in 29 spinning mills in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Workers reported deceit about working and living conditions during the recruitment process, abusive working conditions including low wages, long hours, salary deductions for food and accommodation, and being forced to work excessive overtime.
From Us
Join KnowTheChain and Transparentem for a webinar on 30 June, 9am EST / 2pm BST, covering the remediation of forced labor in the apparel and footwear sector. We will look at corporate efforts to remediate forced labor in supply chains by outlining the scale of worker abuse in apparel supply chains, gaps in companies’ efforts, and examples of remediation.
Catch up on Innovation Forum’s podcast for a discussion with KnowTheChain on the key findings of the 2021 Apparel & Footwear Benchmark and what the sector is doing to address supply chain forced labor risks.
We are hiring! The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is looking for a KnowTheChain Director.
View past issues of our newsletter in our Newsletter Archive.
Forced Labor: The Latest Developments
The ILO Call to Action for the garment industry, launched in April 2020 to cover eight sourcing countries, called for protection of garment workers’ incomes, including ensuring their wages are paid. However the latest update indicates that workers in Myanmar, Haiti, Cambodia, and Pakistan have yet to receive any support via the scheme.
Both the German and Norwegian governments have published legislation requiring companies to carry out human rights due diligence on their supply chains, adding to the growing momentum in Europe.
The United States Customs and Border Protection has banned the import of goods from a Chinese fishing fleet of vessels after allegations of worker abuse, in the first issuance of a Withhold Release Order against a whole fleet of vessels.
For further news on forced labor in relation to business and human rights see the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre website.
Resources
The Thomson Reuters Foundation has launched a white paper, “Amplifying the “S” in ESG: Investor Myth Buster,” asserting the importance of integrating social considerations into investment decisions.
Webinars
Join Electronics Watch for a webinar on 30 June, 5am EST / 10am BST to look at the importance of freedom of association in public sector supply chains of the electronics industry, a sector in which these rights are rarely afforded to supply chain workers.
The Thomson Reuters Foundation, Frank Bold, and Shift are hosting a panel discussion on 1 July, 9am EST / 2pm BST on the development of indicators to assess companies’ social impacts and risks.
Join the PRI for a webinar, “Amplifying the S in ESG: Investor Myth Buster,” on 7 July, 11am EST / 4pm BST.