One of the common challenges of working on issues of human rights, particularly when looking at ensuring supply chains are free of violations, is to understand the systems and contexts of human and social dynamics.  

In this podcast, Aarti is in conversation with Rebekah O'Rourke in her Podcast series, Experience: Our Ally at Work. She talks about unseen forces and factors in human rights work, giving the example of child labour projects she has worked on. Whilst it was recorded during global lockdowns, Aarti talks about the needs to be attended to before the work can be genuinely impactful. The capacity to name the unseen and unknown forces comes from Aarti’s years of experience in the field giving her the ability to speak with confidence on Embode’s unique edge in transforming issues of labour and human rights in supply chains.

Listen to the podcast here.

The Be Slavery Free – Embode five-part webinar series held in 2021 explores the complexities of child labour. The third in the five part series looks at the laws and the remediation frameworks with experts who have on-the-ground experience. 

The panellists include Sarah Dekkiche from International Cocoa Initiative (Director of Policy and Partnerships), Dr. Shantha Sinha from M V Foundation (MVF) (Founder Secretary), R. Venkat Reddy from M V Foundation (National Convener).

Remediation is the act of remedying, reversing or stopping a situation where something has been damaged. This episode unwraps the complexities of identification of child labour, and how businesses can successfully monitor and apply preventative interventions to mitigate and remediate child labour across the supply chain.

Watch the webinar here.

The Be Slavery Free – Embode five-part webinar series held in 2021 explores the complexities of child labour. The series features experts with on-the-ground experience explaining the laws, the root causes and the remediation frameworks that work.

In part two we look at The Root Causes of Child Labour. The selected speakers that present from their experience are; Ms Ugur Gulderer from Young Lives Foundation (Turkey) and Mr Kevin Bosson from Lindt Sprungli (Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana).

In this webinar we focus on the enablers and push factors that cause child labor to exist.

Watch the webinar here. 

RSPO Panel Discussion

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) hosted a panel discussion at the beginning of 2021 on the challenges facing the palm oil industry in regard to the labour and welfare of migrant workers.

The panel was facilitated by Alexandra Experton (Cargill) and participated in by Surina Ismail (IOI Corporation Berhad), Jerald Joseph (Commissioner at Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), Matthew Friedman (Modern Slavery Expert) and Aarti Kapoor (Embode).

This energetic panel discussion on 12 Feb 2021 raises some highly relevant points about why migrant workers continue to face exploitation in the palm oil industry, leading to the consideration of how the sector needs to talk ‘with’ workers rather than just talking ‘about’ them.

Watch on YouTube here. 

A webinar on ‘An Introduction to Child Labour’ as part of “Are we there yet?” a collaborative series of webinars on child labour being conducted by Embode and Be Slavery Free to mark 2021 as the International Year of Elimination of Child Labour. The main purpose of the webinar is to provide consumers and corporations, critical insights into the complex and tragic phenomenon of child labour. The ‘Introduction to Child Labour’ focuses on understanding what child labour actually is, its definitions and profiles. It also reveals myths and truths that are commonly misunderstood, as well as the complexities and systemic approaches required to find a lasting solution to the issue.

Listen in for here complete information.

Embode undertook research to study the links between migration, trafficking, social norms and the barriers to reintegration of returnees to support IOM’s ‘Assessing Stigma for Prevention, Improved Response and Evidence Base (ASPIRE)’ project in Ethiopia.

The research was conducted in Jimma and Arsi zones. Data was gathered through direct interviews and focus group discussions with returnees and their families. The findings established the different forms in which social norms and stigma can render migrants vulnerable to trafficking, and become barriers to safe return and reintegration of survivors, particularly women. The report also highlights the gaps that increase the dangers posed to aspiring migrants who risk unsafe migration in a quest to better their prospects in life.

Embode has followed up the findings with a set of recommendations, which include building of awareness on procedures and documentation for safe migration, policy support, gender-sensitive rehabilitation efforts, mental health support for traumatised returnees, both male and female, a better education system and greater job opportunities.

The report and its findings, together with all recommendations can be accessed here.

Embode undertook research on the links between social norms, stigma and trafficking to support International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) ‘Assessing Stigma for Prevention, Improved Response and Evidence Base (ASPIRE)’ project in Indonesia. Data was gathered through direct interviews with female returnees as well as interviews with family members of other female migrants, and community members. Among the findings, of particular concern were the discriminatory social attitudes and behaviours towards women and the attempts of family members to control their migration process. This contributes to their acceptance of exploitation and violence.

Embode has made multiple strategic recommendations to address the situations arising out of these forms of harmful migration. They are multi-sectoral and aimed to improve critical awareness on discrimination against women and to build capacity within families, communities and local and central governments.

The report and its findings, together with all recommendations can be accessed here.

The reports presents findings from a study jointly commissioned by Bunge Loders Croklaan, Cargill and Mondelēz International, to assess the situation of migrant labour in Malaysia, with a focus on the palm oil sector. Phase 1 of the study was conducted in Malaysia, focusing on foreign workers in the palm oil value chain. Phase 2 of the research was conducted in Nepal, focusing on the recruitment and journey of workers seeking to work in all industry sectors in Malaysia. The research involved a thorough literature review, 60 stakeholder consultations with government, industry, civil society and other actors. It also includes over 100 interviews with migrant workers and their families. Importantly, the report presents key recommendations to governments, industry and civil society on how to work together in ensuring the protection of migrant workers' fundamental rights. Supplementing the main report, a series of six focus assessments provide more in-depth analysis of the situation, frameworks as well as the relations and dynamics across the sector.

Executive Summary (9 pages)

Main Report (45 pages) 

Focus Assessments (providing more in-depth analysis)

1.      The Malaysian Palm Oil Sector and Sustainability Trends

2.     The Malaysian Foreign Employment Regulatory Framework

3.     Labour Sending Country Frameworks

4.     The Role and Function of Agents

5.     The Situation of Migrant Labour in the Palm Oil Sector

6.     Strategy Analysis of Stakeholders and Dynamics

Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is the largest non-profit cotton sustainability programme in the world. Given significant concerns and reports of forced labour and substandard labour conditions in cotton supply chains across the world, BCI set up an independent Task Force on Forced Labour to review their assurance systems and related processes to make recommendations. Embode's Director, Aarti Kapoor, was invited as a member along with 11 other experts from civil society, private sector and peer consultancy agencies. The Task Force formulated a comprehensive set of recommendations on how BCI can strengthen its monitoring, identification and responses to risks of forced labour in cotton supply chains it works across.

The full set of recommendations can be downloaded here.

Vietnam is one of Asia’s largest garment exporters, with its biggest export markets in the United States, Japan the EU. Whilst Vietnam has improved labour laws and standards, to what extent are rights being realised by workers?

This rapid assessment provides insight into the experiences of 21 garment factory workers across three production plants in the North and South of Vietnam. The assessment reveals a culture of fear, with intimidation and control commonly used as a way of managing workers in high pressure and stressful environments.

Access Assessment here

Any case of child labour in a business supply chain raises significant moral reflection, reputational damage and interventions that can be reactive more than responsive. So, how should businesses go about responding appropriately?

This study presents a set of ten sustainable business approaches, from around the world, to combat child labour together with examples of emerging business practices that show promise. The intended audience includes business and industry leaders working to improve social sustainability in tackling child labour.

Commissioned by Global Child Forum.

Children have the right to participate in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken into account. This right is enshrined under article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children. So, how do we translate this right to participate into practice?

This manual outlines a series of good practices relating to child participation and children’s right to be heard in Cambodia. The key focus is how children are participating in national policy dialogue and programme development, highlighting where relevant the specific needs of adolescents.

Commissioned by NGOCRC Cambodia.

This report outlines the nature of child labour in the cocoa sector of Indonesia and recommendations to Mondelēz International.

It also includes an overview of the national systems, laws and policies responding to the issue and an analysis of the cocoa sector from a child-centred perspective highlighting the strengths and gaps.

Commissioned by Mondelēz International.

This report outlines the scale and nature of child labour, including its worst forms, in the cocoa sector of Côte d’Ivoire and recommendations to Mondelēz International.

It also includes a presentation of international and national law, an overview of the national systems responding to the issue and a child-centred analysis on the strengths and gaps of the overarching response.

Commissioned by Mondelēz International.

This report outlines the scale and nature of child labour, including its worst forms, in the cocoa sector of Ghana and recommendations to Mondelēz International.

It also includes a presentation of international and national law, an overview of the national systems responding to the issue and a child-centred analysis on the strengths and gaps of the overarching response.

Commissioned by Mondelēz International.

The latest works of the Grubb School of Organisational Analysis, published in 2016 and edited by Prof Susan Long. The book is full of papers contributed by leading organisational analysts with case studies and practical frameworks to be used to understand the complexities and ambiguities of experience within organisational life. ‘Transforming Experience in Organisations’ explores how people can take authentic action through taking up roles.

A paper entitled ‘Finding, making, and taking role: a case study from the complexity of inter-agency dynamics,’ is contributed by Aarti Kapoor.

The book is highly recommended in its entirety for leaders wanting to develop their organisational capacity.