May 1, 2012: | India’s Dalit women and the real cost of fast fashion (Women's Views On News):
The High Street frenzy that follows when the Duchess of Cambridge is snapped wearing a new dress can lead to 24-hour shifts for women working in some of India’s garment factories.
That’s one of the findings of a new report Maid in India that reveals the impact that unexpected orders and the frequency at which high street stores change their collections is having on some of India’s most disadvantaged women. |
Apr 30, 2012: | Dalit women exploited in garment supply chain (Just-Style.com):
Clothing supplied to leading European and US brands by the Indian garment industry is being produced by young Dalit (or Untouchables, as they were formerly labelled) women, a new report claims. |
Apr 27, 2012: | Dutch Parliament adopts motion on full supply-chain transparency (Stop Child Labour):
Good news! Two days after the release of the report Maid in India, the Dutch Parliament adopts a motion on full supply-chain transparency and the eradication of child labour in the textile chain.
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Apr 27, 2012: | Saga of ‘Maid in India' (The Hindu):
Thousands of young Dalit girls, between the ages of 14 to 25 employed in the garment and textile industry in Tamil Nadu continue to work under exploitative conditions akin to bonded labour, concludes a report Maid in India.
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Apr 27?, 2012: | Studie über Arbeitsbedingungen in Indien veröffentlicht (CI-Romero.de):
Die holländischen NGOs The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) und The India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) haben eine Folgestudie unter dem Titel Maid in India veröffentlicht, die die Arbeitssituation der Textilangestellten in Indien in den Blick nimmt. Die vorangegangene Studie Captured by Cotton aus dem Jahre 2011 verdeutlichte die katastrophale Arbeitsrechts- und Lebenssituation der TextilarbeiterInnen in der Region Tamil Nadu (Distrikt im Süden Indiens). Auf der Grundlage dieser Ergebnisse kündigten einige Unternehmen, die in den Fabriken dort produzieren oder sich von dort mit Rohmaterial beliefern lassen, an, dass sie Schritte zu Verbesserungen einleiten wollen.
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Apr 26, 2012: | BSCI responds to Sumangali report Maid in India (BSCI):
On 25 April a joint report entitled Maid in India was released by Dutch organisations, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN). Maid in India follows up on SOMO and ICN’s initial research Captured by Cotton, released in May 2011 which highlighted the poor conditions imposed on Dalit girls in the garment industry in India. In the conclusions of the report, actions from producers and companies were requested along with recommended actions for companies. Maid in India follows up on this report and evaluates to what degree these actions have been implemented.
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Apr 26, 2012: | Tres grandes empresas españolas siguen en la 'lista negra' de trabajo esclavo (LacrimaSeca/ElConfidencial.com):
Salarios miserables, jornadas sin fin, niñas explotadas, sindicatos proscritos, ambiente insalubre... El sombrío escenario laboral que engulle cotidianamente a miles de mujeres jóvenes del empobrecido estado indio de Tamil Nadu, empleadas en condiciones que rozan la esclavitud en los talleres que suministran productos textiles a las primeras marcas mundiales, parece condenado a perpetuarse en el tiempo. Y mientras las autoridades del gigante asiático toleran los abusos, 77 grandes empresas occidentales, entre ellas El Corte Inglés, Inditex -propietaria de firmas como Zara y Pull&Bear- y Cortefiel siguen obteniendo jugosos beneficios. |
Apr 26, 2012: | Reacción de la moda a denuncias en India “es insuficiente” (FashionUnited.es):
A pesar de las promesas de cambio e iniciativas con buenas intenciones de algunas empresas europeas y americanas de vestimenta, los trabajadores textiles en la región de Tamil Nadu, al sur de India siguen siendo explotados.
Así se señala en el informe Maid in India dado a conocer ayer por el Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations -una organizaciín independiente holandesa sin ánimo de lucro que escruta a las grandes multinacionales- y el India Committee of the Netherlands -una ONG del mismo país impulsora de la campaña Clean Clothes (Ropas Limpias) contra la explotación vinculada al comercio textil.
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Apr 26, 2012: | Maid in India (Saubere-Kleidung.de):
Die holländischen NGOs The Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) und The India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) haben eine Folgestudie unter dem Titel Maid in India veröffentlicht, die die Arbeitssituation der Textilangestellten in den Indien in den Blick nimmt. Die vorangegangene Studie Captured by Cotton aus dem Jahre 2011 verdeutlichte die katastrophale Arbeitsrechts- und Lebenssituation der TextilarbeiterInnen in der Region Tamil Nadu (Distrikt im Süden Indiens). Auf der Grundlage dieser Ergebnisse kündigten einige Unternehmen, die in den Fabriken dort produzieren oder sich von dort mit Rohmaterial beliefern lassen, an, dass sie Schritte zu Verbesserungen einleiten wollen.
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Mar 23, 2012: | Trabajo esclavo en la India: tres empresas españolas están incluidas en la 'lista negra' (ElConfidencial.com):
Niñas y adolescentes trabajando sin contrato, privadas de libertad y en condiciones insalubres durante más de 72 horas a la semana por un salario de 0,88 euros al día, del que sólo podrán disponer cuando hayan transcurrido de tres a cinco años y que servirá para pagar su dote matrimonial. Ese es el sombrío escenario laboral de miles de jóvenes del estado de Tamil Nadu, al sur de la India, que son empleadas en condiciones que rozan la esclavitud por empresas textiles de aquel país que luego suministran sus productos a grandes firmas internacionales, entre ellas las españolas Inditex, El Corte Inglés y Cortefiel.
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Mar 5, 2012: | Still ‘Captured by cotton’? Despite some improvements, problems persist in the garment supply chain (CorporateJustice.org):
Today, SOMO and ICN are presenting a sneak preview of their upcoming report on labour abuses in the South Indian garment industry. The two-pager preview is published on the occasion of a meeting of the Sumangali Bonded Labour group of the UK-based Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI). SOMO and ICN call upon garment brands to take their responsibility to ensure that workers’ rights are respected throughout their supply chain.
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Jan 25, 2012: | New CSR Frame of Reference published by MVO Platform:
The Frame of Reference for corporate social responsibility (CSR) provides a clear overview of how the MVO Platform perceives CSR. With this CSR Frame of Reference the MVO Platform expresses which expectations it has from the companies.
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Nov 23, 2011: | SOMO and ICN statement to reactions by Rainforest Alliance and Unilever following publication of the SOMO report Certified Unilever Tea: Small cup, big difference?:
Following the publication in October 2011 of a report by SOMO and ICN revealing labour right violations in Rainforest Alliance (RA) certified tea production for Unilever both RA and Unilever have made several public statements. The positions that are reflected in these statements were communicated to SOMO and ICN already before publication of the report. Hence, wherever it was deemed
relevant in the context of this study their position has been discussed in the report.
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Oct 31, 2011: | Precarious work in certified tea production for Unilever (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre):
Workers picking tea for Unilever in India and Kenya are subject to precarious working conditions and labor rights violations, even though this tea carries the Rainforest Alliance certificate. This is an important finding from the report Certified Unilever Tea - Small cup, big difference? that SOMO and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) are releasing.
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May 20, 2011: | International efforts to eliminate forced labour continue (Harmonia):
Today, SOMO and ICN published a report that shows the Sumangali practice – a form of forced labour – is still prevalent in South India. Fair Wear Foundation has been working on this topic with international organisations, including SOMO and ICN and with local organisations in India.
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May 19, 2011: | Dalit girls working under slave like conditions in India's garment industry (IDSN.org):
Multinational clothing brands are sourcing from cotton spinning mills in Tamil Nadu that exploit teenage girls, subjecting them to what the ILO terms the ‘worst forms of child labour’.
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May 16, 2011: | The Cost of Cotton: Every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide
(CHR&GJ):
India is failing to address its farmer suicide crisis, says the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ), in a report released yesterday that has indentified an agrarian crisis in India where farmer suicides are on the rise and caste discrimination only exacerbates the problem.
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Jun 27, 2010: | EU-India Free Trade Agreement [update].
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Apr 23, 2009: | Nestlé Unions in India take nation-wide protest action (IUF):
On 16 April the IUF-affiliated Federation of All India Nestle Employees launched protest actions at four Nestle factories across India, demanding that management immediately engage in wage bargaining.
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Mar 12, 2009: | EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
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Feb 16, 2009: | Worker rights violations in Asia by giant retailers / Unilever's disposable jobs in Pakistan:
Giant global discount retailers like Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Carrefour,
and Walmart try to lure consumers into their shops with low, low
prices. A man´s suit for £25 at Tesco, a woman´s dress for $9 at
Walmart, or jeans for EUR8 at Carrefour. How do they do it? ...
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Sep 29, 2008: | Indian organizations call for halt to EU-India FTA negotiations (press release Centre for Education and Communication, Delhi):
As two day (29-30 September, 2008) EU-India summit begins at Marseilles in France, civil society groups from across India demand a complete halt of the ongoing EU-India FTA negotiations. In a statement submitted to key political leaders in India, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, they claim that since the FTA talks began in June 2007, the Indian Parliament, state legislatures and key constituencies such as trade unions and agriculture groups have been kept in the dark.
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Jun 12, 2008: | Falling tea prices affect working conditions (SOMO):
Working conditions of tea pickers worldwide are under pressure due to low prices and high production costs. This is one of the conclusions of the new SOMO report “Sustainability Issues in the Tea Sector” presented today.
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Nov 2007: | A Code of Conduct for the natural stone sector (Dutch Working Group on Sustainable Natural Stone):
Sustainability criteria to support supply chain responsibility throughout the chain.
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Oct 2007: | Interview with Gerard Oonk, Director, India Committee of The Netherlands (DevelopedNation.org):
DevelopedNation.org interviewed Mr. Oonk on ICN's campaign against child labour in India and the court case against it by an Indian garment company. |
Oct 2007: | Natural Stone (Working Group on Sustainable Natural Stone):
More and more often natural stone is originating from countries such as India and China. When it comes to these countries people are regularly exposed to stories of child labour, environmental damage and low wages. Do these injustices also play a role in natural stone production and processing? The natural stone sector in the Netherlands has gone in search of the answer. On the basis of this quest a fitting answer to this question has been found. In this brochure the Working Group on Sustainable Natural Stone takes you on its journey. Read how you can contribute to a solution. |
Sep 2007: | Silicosis - Educate, eliminate, eradicate (Discovering Stone):
Silicosis is one of the oldest occupational diseases known to man.
Recognised since ancient times, this incurable lung disease
caused by inhalation of dust containing free crystalline silica, is
irreversible and the disease progresses even when exposure stops.
Silicosis is preventable. However, it continues to pose a very real threat
to some people on a daily basis and still kills thousands around the
world every year.
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Aug 15, 2007: | Suing stakeholders: solution or setback? (CSR Asia Weekly):
Two prominent European non-government organisations (NGOs) are being sued by an Indian garment company for cyber crime. In what appears to be an unprecedented legal move, Fibres & Fabrics International (FFI) and its subsidiary Jeans Knit Pvt. Ltd. (JKPL) in Bangalore have accused Dutch-based Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) of “cyber crime, acts of racist and xenophobic nature and criminal defamation.”
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May 24, 2007: | PM's Address at CII Annual General Meeting - 2007: Ten Point Social Charter for Inclusive Growth Outlined (Press Information Bureau, Gov. of India):
Urging the Indian industry to make our growth processes both efficient and inclusive, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh outlined a Ten Point Social Charter for this purpose. Inaugurating the National Conference and Annual Session 2007 of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), here today, Dr. Singh invited corporate India to be a partner in making ours a more humane and just society.
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May 23, 2007: | Global trade unions: India seriously violates core labour standards (ITUC):
There remain serious violations of all core labour standards in India, states a new ITUC report. The report is being released today to coincide with India’s trade policy review at the WTO on 23 and 25 May.
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May 8, 2007: | Scandal of the quarry children (Yorkshire Post):
In the average Indian quarry 20 per cent of the workforce is made up of child labour, some as young as six. We expose the shocking truth behind the cheap sandstone being exported to the UK and find out what one Yorkshire company is doing about it. |
Apr 2007: | Asian giant on an ethical crash course (Ethical Corporation):
Only a few forward-looking companies have
so far flown the corporate responsibility flag
in India. But the rest will soon have to follow. |
Mar 2007: | Is Indian sandstone morally acceptable? (Garden Design Journal):
Have you ever wondered why Indian sandstone is so cheap? It is often quarried at horrific social, economic and environmental cost. Louise Zass-Bangham reveals the issues and explains how we can — and must — change this situation through ethical sourcing. |
Feb 13, 2007: | Between a rock and a hard place - how UK patios rely on child labour (Guardian):
In the blazing morning sun Naresh swings a hammer on to a square grey sandstone slab, his features focused on chipping away the rock until it is the length of his feet. Around the boy are crates of blocks, which are graded by texture and shape before being tied up into neat bundles. |
Oct 2006: | 'From quarry to graveyard' - The Dutch natural stone market and responsible business behaviour (Principled Profit):
Inhuman labour conditions and wide scale environmental damage are part and parcel of natural stone production in India. This is the message of the report "From quarry to graveyard - Corporate social responsibility in the natural stone sector” published today by the India Committee of the Netherlands. The report describes the Dutch natural stone trade and details how Dutch companies and trade organisations are starting to take an interest in corporate social responsibility.
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Aug 9, 2006: | Sustainable tea sourcing - Brewing up progress? (Ethical Corporation):
Dutch tea companies and non governmental organisations have begun to discuss how to improve social and environmental performance in the industry. |
May 20, 2006: | Dutch tea companies start round table process with critical NGOs (PeoplePlanetProfit.be):
The largest Dutch tea producers and retailers have gathered this week in a round table conference with non-governmental organisations to discuss improvements in the CSR-policies of the companies. Recent research indicated that the tea industry does not adequately address labour rights, social issues, environmental concerns and economic imbalances in the tea producing countries.
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Jun 1, 2005: | Industry backs plan for SCs, STs (The Hindu):
Several leading industrial houses have backed the Government's commitment to provide greater opportunities to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes as part of affirmative action, including job reservation in the private sector.
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May 11, 2005: | Protesters demand fair trade tea (BBC News):
Unilever accused of exploitation Indian tea workers.
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Jan 25, 2005: | Food multinationals threaten fight against poverty (ActionAid):
Multinational food companies are growing too big and powerful and are threatening the fight against poverty in developing countries, says a new report by development agency ActionAid.
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Nov 29, 2004: | "Clouds of Injustice: Bhopal Disaster 20 years on" (Amnesty International):
On the night of 2 December 1984, over 35 tons of toxic gases leaked from a pesticide plant in Bhopal owned by the US-based multinational Union Carbide Corporation (UCC)'s Indian affiliate Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). In the next 2-3 days more than 7,000 people died and many more were injured.
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Nov 2004: | Reservations for Dalits as CSR? (OneWorld South Asia):
The policy of reservations in the public sector is being used as a strategy to overcome discrimination and act as a compensatory exercise.
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2004: | 100% Cotton - Made In India:
TV Documentation about poisonings with Bayer's pesticides in India. |
Jun 2004: | European Nulti Stakeholder Forum on CSR
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May 24, 2004: | Dutch companies in India found wanting in CSR (The Financial Times):
A report on the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by Dutch companies in India has come down heavily on these companies for not living up to their responsibility.
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May 20, 2004: | Multinationals in India fail on CSR (Ethical Corporation Online):
A report by the India Committee of the Netherlands has highlighted a jack of awareness and substance on corporate social responsibility in supplier relations between Dutch and Indian companies.
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May 6, 2004: | Dutch companies in India yet to live up to corporate responsibility (CSRDataNetworks.com):
Most multinationals do have an official corporate policy or a code of conduct on the issue, but hardly involve their Indian daughter company in its development.
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May 6, 2004: | Dutch firms urged to follow global social norms in India (Yahoo! News):
Dutch companies working in India are under fire for ignoring issues such as graft and religious bigotry in violation of corporate social responsibility norms.
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Apr 2003: | Child Labour and Trans-National Seed Companies in Hybrid Cotton Seed Production in Andhra Pradesh (ICN report):
A new system of employing female children as 'bonded labourers' has come into practice on hybrid cottonseed farms in south India in recent years. Local seed farmers, who cultivate hybrid cottonseeds for national and Multinational Seed Companies, secure the labour of girls by offering loans to their parents in advance of cultivation, compelling the girls to work at the terms set by the employer for the entire season, and, in practice, for several years. These girls work long days, are paid very little, are deprived of an education and are exposed for long periods to dangerous agricultural chemicals.
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....... : | website Business & Human Rights: "online library", many links on CSR and human rights
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