Voices - Conversations on Business and Human Rights from Around the World IHRB, Institute for Human Rights and Business

On this Voices conversation, Transparentem’s Andrew Korfhage and Sophie Broach speak to IHRB’s Guna Subramaniam. We discuss their recently published report, Hidden Harm: Audit Deception in Apparel Supply Chains and the Urgent Case for Reform. The report compiles evidence of efforts to conceal labour rights violations from social auditors in the apparel industry in India, Malaysia, and Myanmar, and research from peer organisations and academics which indicate that audit deception is a pervasive problem in apparel supply chains. Interviewed workers’ accounts reveal that many types of labor abuses can be hidden from auditors, including recruitment fees, child labour, passport retention, wage and hour violations, and hazardous working conditions. 

Reuters reported in April this year that roughly 85,000 of the 172,000 migrants at the southern US border were from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. And the IOM states that from January to August of this year 70,074 were deported from Mexico and the US back to Central America. Add onto those figures, the thousands of workers who enter the US on seasonal worker visas and then return home, it is clear there are a huge number of migrants who are returning to Central America under a variety of circumstances. While there is no system currently in place to monitor what happens to migrants when they return, we do know that returnees are particularly at risk of poverty, violence, and victimization.

Saul Diaz Ortiz, Regional Director of the SwissContact is addressing the unique needs of returning migrants through partnerships with individuals, communities, government, and business, thanks to the Nuevas Oportunidades project. Listen to his experience when identifying and boosting the economy of the countries of origin of returning migrants when they are properly integrated into society.

JUMP-TO POINTS:
3:15 - Introduction of Nuevas Oportunidades
7:30 -  The stigma against returned migrants in Central America - a historical approach
9:20 - The story of a returned migrant worker
15:30 -  The importance of reintegrating returning migrants
20:06 - Working to fight discrimination against returning migrants?
21:40 -  The importance of raising awareness in the private sector.
22:40 - An effective dynamic to fight discrimination at the community level
24:20 - The positive impact of Nuevas Oportunidades: an opportunity for economic development

The dystopian mood music surrounding the United Nations 26th annual climate change conference (COP26) is stark. Government and business leaders are not meeting the targets set in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, and humanity is quickly running out of time to correct course.

In this special episode of Voices, IHRB’s Haley St. Dennis and John Morrison unpack the concept and study of dystopian and utopian thinking throughout history, in search of guidance for how to think about and tackle the climate crisis. Feeding into the discussion is Dr. Danilo Palazzo, an academic expert on the subject of utopias, who emphasises the usefulness of utopian thinking as a response to dystopian realities, particularly their value in crafting blue-sky solutions and forcing problem-solvers to think beyond present generations’ needs. 

Remediation programmes have the potential to strengthen existing human rights due diligence, compliance, and broader ESG policies first by involving workers in the detection and resolution of any human rights grievance and then by providing consistent feedback on the success of these human rights policies.

In this IHRB Voices podcast Archana Kotecha Director of the Remedy Project discusses with Neill Wilkins IHRB new guidelines for ensuring access to remedy for migrant workers.

Jump-to points:
(1:20) The importance of access to remedy for migrant workers
(3:50) The creation of a Guidelines for remedy for migrant workers
(7:10) The outline of the seven steps of the Guidelines
(12:30) How to apply them?

Digital platforms for migration can be a great tool for promoting transparency of recruitment processes for migrant workers and businesses trying to recruit workforce. They may also encourage improved government oversight of recruitment in countries of origin and destination.

In this episode of Voices Sophia Kagan, ILO Chief Technical Adviser on Fair Migration in the Middle East, talks to Neill Wilkins, IHRB Head of Migrant Workers Programme, about a new ILO report on government developed digital recruitment platforms. They discussed the opportunities and challenges of technology for promoting the wellbeing of migrant workers.

JUMP-TOP POINTS:
(1:18) The trigger for the paper
(3:25) Examples of digital platforms for the inclusion of migrant workers: EPS in Korea & eMigrate in India.
(6:35) The need for collaboration from technology and the political will
(11:00) How easy is it for migrant workers to access the digital tool?
(13:50) The future impact of technology for the inclusion of migrant workers

Nissara Spence, Project Officer at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Thailand, speaks to IHRB's Guna Subramaniam about the recently published Human Resource Guidebook on Employer Obligations and Cultural Sensitivity. The Guidebook aims to promote a working environment for the respectful inclusion of migrant workers by acknowledging the diversity in their backgrounds.

Spence has been with the United Nations for more than five years. Since 2018, she has been the National Project Officer for the Corporate Responsibility to Eliminate Slavery and Trafficking, (CREST) programme at IOM Thailand. In this episode, she guides us through the Guidebook's content, which highlights the importance of cultural sensibility to build trust and reduce conflicts in the workplace of a country where 10% of its workforce are migrant workers.

JUMP TO POINTS:
The Concept of the Guidebook (1:20)
Who does the Guidebook address? (3:23)
The responsibilities of the employers (5:35)
Cultural sensitivity in communication (8:25)
Tips for employers to develop cultural sensitivity (9:25)
How to access the Guidebook? (16:50)