A/HRC/30/35
53.
An example of good practice is the multi-stakeholder public-private platform Project
Issara63 initiated by Anti-Slavery International to tackle modern slavery in South-East Asia,
with an initial focus on forced labour in the export-oriented industries of Thailand that
affect global supply chains. Another well-known example of a multi-stakeholder privatepublic initiative is the National Pact for the Eradication of Slave Labour in Brazil, which
brings companies together to combat slave labour with the assistance of ILO, nongovernmental organizations (including Repórter Brasil and Ethos) and support from the
Government. Over 400 companies and trade associations had signed the pact as of May
2014, including large companies such as Walmart Brazil, committing not to do business
with people and companies involved with slave labour.64
54.
Multi-stakeholder initiatives help to address questions of credibility and
effectiveness that have surrounded business-only and corporate social responsibility
strategies. They offer a more inclusive model as they involve various stakeholders and thus
provide a long-term solution to addressing risks to contemporary forms of slavery in supply
chains. Those multi-stakeholder platforms that are genuinely premised on social partnership
and involve trade unions have the additional benefit that they can ensure collaboration
across a number of initiatives including public-policy advocacy and grievance resolution.
55.
Investors have also begun to play an increasing role in requiring human rights due
diligence. 65 Furthermore, civil society actors have been at the forefront of challenges to
contemporary forms of slavery in supply chains66 and civil society “naming and shaming”
of companies has resulted in some businesses responding positively by adopting or
adjusting their policies and practices. 67 A welcome initiative in the reporting context is the
recently launched United Nations Guiding Principles Reporting Framework, which
provides guidance for companies to report on how they respect human rights. 68
F.
Corporate legal liability and access to remedies in cases involving
contemporary forms of slavery in supply chains
56.
States have a duty under international human rights law to ensure the right to a
remedy, including equal and effective access to justice and adequate, effective and prompt
reparations for human rights violations. For victims of gross violations of international
human rights law, such as slavery and slavery-like practices, full and effective reparation
may take the following forms: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and
guarantees of non-repetition.69 In the third pillar of the Guiding Principles on Business and
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
16
www.projectissara.org.
For signatories, see www.pactonacional.com.br
The Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility “No fees” Initiative targets the risk of debt bondage
faced by migrant workers resulting from fee-charging for recruitment and employment services and
uses the strength and influence of investors to target 12 companies in the palm oil and seafood sectors
to clearly demonstrate their commitment to respect human rights (www.iccr.org/no-fees-initiative).
A well-known example is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, which mobilized consumers in the
Campaign for Fair Food and led to successful prosecutions for slavery on tomato farms in the United
States.
For example, after a report by the Fair Labor Association that Nestlé was using child labour in its
cocoa supply chain, the company strengthened its Nestlé Cocoa Plan, adopting all recommendations.
(The case is cited together with other examples in the International Corporate Accountability
Roundtable, “Persisting Harm: Corporate Responsibility and Accountability for Human Trafficking
and Slavery” (forthcoming, on file).)
See www.ungpreporting.org. Early adopters include Unilever, Nestlé, H&M and Newmont.
Right to an effective remedy for violations of international human rights law can be found in a
number of international and regional instruments. See also Basic Principles and Guidelines on the
Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights
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