Issara Institute recognizes worker voice as conveying the voices, experiences, and needs of workers, and channeling that voice into clear mechanisms committed to remediation and a rebalancing of power asymmetries between employers and workers. This definition is consistent with that established at the start of the organized labour movement in the late 1800s, and is not to be confused with worker feedback tools, which do not necessarily have clear mechanisms or commitments to addressing power asymmetries or remediation (and which in many cases only serve to support corporate due diligence). As a non-profit organization, Issara Institute operates a range of worker voice channels aimed at supporting jobseekers in Cambodia and Myanmar, and migrant workers in Thailand and Malaysia. These channels are run in Burmese, Khmer, Nepalese, and Thai languages, including several ethnic dialects of Myanmar including Kachin, Kayin, Mon, and Shan. The multiple channels to engage directly with workers are comprised of a free, 24-hour helpline, social media platforms and messaging (Facebook, Line, and Viber), the Issara Golden Dreams smartphone application, and direct in-person outreach and empowerment activities. The primary remediation channel used by Issara Institute is with and through business—partnership with global brands and retailers, to drive remediation and improvements in the labour practices of their supplier base and associated recruitment agencies. Issara Institute also refers cases to government departments of the origin and destination countries, and to trade union and civil society partners—in addition to working with these stakeholders on broader systems change.

Top 5 Labour abuses in 2019-2020- A Field-Based Analysis of Worker Reporting and Business Responses In Thailand DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

Slavery Free Recruitment Systems: A Landscape Analysis of Fee-Free Recruitment Initiatives
Publications

This brief has been prepared by Phil Marshall, Technical Consultant to the Issara Institute. This paper summarizes the current discussion around fee-free recruitment, including: (1) definitions of fee-free recruitment; (2) linkages between migra...Read More

Labor trafficking on specific temporary work visas: A data analysis 2018-2020
Guidance

Temporary work visas are intended to provide decent jobs to migrant workers while helping U.S. businesses meet their labor needs by filling mostly low-wage jobs that would otherwise sit vacant. Policymakers often refer to the migrants who come to th...Read More

How to prevent modern slavery: A report by Unseen based on data from the modern slavery & exploitation helpline and lived experience accounts
Guidance

In 2021, the number of people referred to the UK Government’s system of identification and support, the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), stood at 12,727. Of those, only 2,866 were given a Positive Conclusive Grounds decision, conf...Read More

Prevention of adult sexual and labour exploitation in the UK: What does or could work?
Guidance

This report, entitled, ‘Prevention of adult sexual and labour exploitation in the UK: What does or could work?’ is a Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (the Modern Slavery PEC) research project. It was developed ...Read More