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Since its founding
in 1995, Verité has conducted approximately 1000 audits
in 65
countries. We are the only non-profit social auditing
organization currently operating on a global basis. Verité
is known for conducting the most thorough and in-depth social
audits in the industry.
Verité's clients
are typically global manufacturing companies that have a commitment to improving
labor conditions throughout their supply chains. A number of these clients, all
of which have developed corporate Codes of Conduct, acknowledge that they do not
have effective control over their international purchasing and production networks.
Verité assists these corporations in monitoring their suppliers' factory
conditions and establishing remediation
and training programs
that bring factories into compliance with local legal, international labor and
client production standards.
Key components of Verité's social audit model include:
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Expertise in a broad spectrum of workplace issues, including child labor,
contract labor, women's rights, harassment and abuse, freedom of association,
discrimination, wage and overtime violations, and health and safety hazards.
- Up-to-date knowledge of
local laws and international labor standards. Verité's monitoring benchmarks
include International Labor Organization (ILO)
Core Conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other labor and
human rights standards and conventions, as well as the U.S. Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA)
standards and industry Best Practices.
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Highly experienced regional field-based coordinators, who screen, train and lead audit teams.
Verité Regional Coordinators have a combined knowledge of local and national labor regulations,
international labor rights standards and industry practices in more than 60 countries.
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A global network of non-governmental organization (NGO) partners. We work in partnership
with the leaders of research, labor, women's rights, and community development NGOs in composing
our audit teams.
- Confidentiality agreements.
Verité agrees not to publish or otherwise divulge any client information
or specific factory findings without the permission of the client.
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A balanced approach to corporate engagement. Verité maintains full independence and
responsibility for its social audits, field operations, training and reporting activities.
A typical Verité social audit is based on:
- An audit team with expertise
in social policy, manufacturing, sourcing, human and labor rights, quality control
and industrial hygiene.
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Worker interviewers who are fluent in the local language and sensitive to
local cultural norms.
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On-site and off-site confidential worker interviews, a core component of
a Verité audit.
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On-site inspection and management interviews. This typically takes up to four
days.
- Confidentiality agreements.
Verité agrees not to publish or otherwise divulge any client information
or specific factory findings without the permission of the client.
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Comprehensive Factory Evaluation Report, which includes findings based on
worker and management interviews, visual observation, and analysis of payroll
and other documents. Supporting documentation and citations from local labor laws,
government regulation and State Department human rights reports are included as
well.
- Recommendations for corrective
steps, including factory-based remediation
and training
programs for factory managers and workers.
List of Areas covered in Audit
Background
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