Detecting cases of forced labor in supply chains has long been recognized as an urgent challenge in corporate accountability. Already in 2008, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) issued the first publicly-available guidance to help employers assess and identify risks.
The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Regional Office for Arab States in collaboration with the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, launched a white paper in September, authored by Dr. Ray Jureidini: Ways forward in recruitment of low-skilled migrant workers in Asia-Arab states corridor (also available in Arabic).
The summer months were a busy time for Verité’s advocacy and engagement on responsible recruitment. We participated in a number of high-level and technical meetings, with notable progress among international organizations, multi-stakeholder initiatives, business associations, and civil society.
Every year on June 12th, the international community commemorates World Day Against Child Labor in order to raise awareness and focus attention on how best to eliminate the exploitation of children in the workplace. This year’s theme “Ending Child Labor in Supply Chains” emphasized the fact that 168 million children are still engaged in child labor, many of whom work to produce internationally traded goods and services, or items destined for national consumption. Because child labor is most often performed at the lower level of supply chains in small workshops or home businesses where labor inspectors have difficulty reaching, and where trade unions and employer organizations are absent, it is incumbent on everyone, including governments, NGOs, businesses and consumers to take action to address the issue.
Verité was pleased to play a role in “Out of the Shadows: Innovative Approaches to Combating Forced Labor and Other Forms of Worker Exploitation,” a multi-stakeholder conference convened by the ILO Washington office, Humanity United, and the US Department of Labor on April 22nd in Washington, DC.