The global spread of COVID-19 has prompted unprecedented measures to contain the virus, including the temporary shutdown of business and widespread restrictions on movement. Around the world, travel plans and workplaces have been disrupted and work habits changed. Yet throughout the pandemic, it has been business as usual for some offshore call center agents in Tunisia and Morocco, who continued handling calls and queries on behalf of multinational companies to serve the needs of clients and customers abroad. This briefing summarizes some of the key human rights risks to workers in this sector, and considers the steps taken by ten call centers operating in and six clients outsourcing services to Tunisia and/or Morocco to protect workers amidst the crisis. We found that the pandemic has exacerbated systemic risks of economic hardship, psychological strain – due to long hours under constant surveillance, verbal abuse and stress – and introduced new risks linked to health hazards amid the virus. Similar concerns have been reported in other parts of the world, including South Korea, the US and Brazil, underscoring the endemic, transnational nature of these risks, which have long been a reality for many call center workers. The briefing also outlines recommendations for companies to address these

Disconnected: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Call Center Workers‘ rights in Tunisia and Morocco - Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, 2020 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Modern Slavery: A Resource Guide for The Banking Industry
Publications

Every four seconds, someone is sold into modern slavery somewhere in the world. Every 60 seconds, the criminal industry that supports modern slavery makes more than US$285,000. These statistics, calculated from estimates by the International Labor O...Read More

Using Civil Litigation to Combat Human Trafficking
LegislationPublications

In October 2003, Congress passed a law allowing trafficking victims to recover civil damages from their traffickers in federal courts, 18 U.S.C. § 1595, now known as the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). In the almost twen...Read More

TAGS:
World Congress 2021 Report
Publications

“The 2021 Survivor Alliance World Congress marked a pivotal moment for survivor leadership in the international fight against modern-day slavery and human trafficking. For the first time, survivor leaders outnumbered our allied colleagues as plann...Read More

TAGS: Global
Modern Slavery Act 2015 – Impact on Supply Chains and the role of Procurement and Actions Required to Support the Organisation (CIPS)
Publications

The UK Modern Slavery Act came into force in 2015. The insight gives an overview of the Act, focusing on the impact on supply chains and the role of procurement and actions required to support the organizations. The document also makes reference to o...Read More