A/HRC/35/37
auditor training, strengthening initiatives to share data and information, and using new
technologies to enhance information gathering, for example through information
technology platforms, hotlines or other such mechanisms.
56.
Representatives from the auditing community agreed to propose a red-flag approach,
which would enable auditors to investigate beyond the audit scope when predefined key
indicators of labour exploitation were identified. Along those lines, a mapping of the supply
chain could be instrumental in identifying risk practices beyond first-tier suppliers. Such an
exercise would help client companies prioritize audits on the basis of the presence of risk
indicators in subcontracting practices or high-risk geographical areas and economic sectors.
57.
Participants in the consultations also discussed the professionalization of social
auditing, current trends and developments in the industry and industry efforts to enhance
auditor capacity and performance. They examined good practices in the area of assessment,
partnerships with civil society and lessons learned in complementing audits with other
strategies to enhance supply chain accountability. Members of the Association of
Professional Social Compliance Auditors, recently established to enhance the
professionalism of individual auditors and organizations performing independent social
compliance audits, have been discussing the scope of social compliance audits, the
competencies required of an auditor and the requirement for an audit firm to ensure their
auditors are able to perform audits and act with integrity and independence at all times.
58.
The second consultation also highlighted several data-sharing initiatives aimed at
helping businesses to prioritize efforts, as well as the need to record data on labour
recruiters. Partnerships and the role of advocacy in the social audit industry were also
discussed, as was the need for an oversight mechanism, for example an accreditation
system, to ensure quality and standards across the industry.
59.
Diverse means of raising grievances and having them addressed were also debated,
including examples of worker hotlines and innovations in the use of smartphone
technology. However, it was noted that such efforts alone, not unlike social audits, cannot
solve the complex problem of human trafficking, and must be reinforced through other
means of awareness-raising, capacity-building, problem identification and access to
remedy. Questions were raised about the role played by local authorities in the referral and
follow-up of grievances, and about how best to coordinate with such authorities, when
necessary. Good practices related to the rehabilitation of trafficking victims and their
reintegration into communities and labour markets was also mentioned as a topic in need of
urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.
60.
Speaking to the criticism that voluntary initiatives have received on their lack of
impact in terms of transforming current business models, representatives of multistakeholder initiatives shared promising examples of efforts carried out by some initiatives
in sector transformation that illustrate the positive impact that voluntary standards can have
in enhancing higher standards in national-level policies and legislation. As voluntary
standards alone are not sufficient to achieve sector transformation into a new sustainable
business model, innovative approaches seek to combine the efforts of the public sector and
those of voluntary initiatives. Collaboration across stakeholder groups, from businesses to
civil society and regulators, was acknowledged as a precondition for such transformation,
as were partnerships with governments, international organizations and the broader United
Nations system.
61.
Participants identified several other actions and interventions, listed below, which
have also helped the Special Rapporteur define areas for further engagement and work
under the mandate in strengthening the strategies implemented by multi-stakeholder
initiatives and industry coalitions to detect and tackle trafficking in persons:
(a)
Corporate codes and policies must be strengthened to address risks of
trafficking and forced labour in recruitment and labour supply chains, and must set out
specific protections for migrant and other vulnerable workers;
(b)
Standard-setting, multi-stakeholder and certification initiatives should be
encouraged to engage a broad cross section of stakeholders, including auditors, in the
design and establishment of new standards systems;
12
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents