Today, businesses face increasing pressure to eliminate human rights risks in their operations and practices. There is mounting evidence that adverse labour impacts can affect business operations, cause financial loss, and damage reputations.
Various approaches are currently used to gauge corporate responsibility towards human rights, ranging from voluntary initiatives to market-driven standards and regulatory frameworks. Many prominent companies and industry associations have devised and implemented their own processes for conducting human rights due diligence (HRDD). However, a noticeable shift is occurring from voluntary and market-driven practices towards stricter regulatory requirements, including the growing utilisation of trade sanctions.
In our interactions with businesses, spanning from large corporations to small- and medium-sized enterprises, we have observed a common hesitation regarding HRDD. They often express uncertainty, with questions like “Where should we begin?” or “How do we initiate this process?”. They also express concern about the abundance of available resources, leading to confusion about which ones to prioritise.
A recurring suggestion has been to develop an accessible guide or checklist to assist businesses in embarking on their compliance journey.
The Business and Human Rights in Southeast Asia #2: A GuideKit to Operationalise Human Rights Due Diligence on Forced Labour serves precisely this purpose. It follows up on our first GuideKit on the environment and labour.
This second publication is designed to help businesses identify potential human rights risks within their operations, particularly concerning migrant workers. It facilitates the assessment of human rights due diligence efforts across various stages, including during the recruitment and employment of the workers. The insights gained from this GuideKit will enable businesses to conduct more comprehensive self-evaluations and prioritise areas requiring immediate action.
We will launch the GuideKit in Bangkok on 12 June 2024, and we would like you to join us. Details of the event are as follows:
Date: 12 June 2024 (Wednesday)
Time: 4.30 – 5.30 pm (GMT+7)
Venue: The Athenee Hotel, Bangkok
The agenda of the event is below. Please also confirm your attendance by 10 June 2024 by registering here.
We look forward to seeing you there!
AmerBON, Advocates
