Dear reader,
In this edition of IndiaNews you will find articles and reports on labour rights in India, Dalits & caste-based discrimination and access to justice in India for victims of corporate abuses.
As member of the Stop Child Labour campaign we are also informing you about the ‘10 campaign’ about the, despite clear promises, corporate failure of the last decade to eradicate child labour in the African cocoa industry. Do you have information about growing cocoa production in India (see end of this newletter)?
International Trade Unions very critical on core labour rights in India
The ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) recently released a report on core labour standards in India. India has ratified only four core ILO labour Conventions and the compliance with these labour standards is poor. The report finds that the rights to organise, collective bargaining and strike are restricted both in law and in practice and that thousands of detentions and arrests are reported every year. The report reveals also that the situation is graver in Export Processing Zones, where organising is even more difficult.
The law does not sufficiently protect children from forms of labour that are illegal under Conventions No. 138 and No. 182. The report finds that these laws are not well-enforced and child labour, including its worst forms, is prevalent throughout India. Furthermore, forced labour and trafficking in human beings are prevalent in agriculture, mining and commercial sexual exploitation.
Several important references to Dalits and caste discrimination are included in the report:
See the report here: http://www.ituc-csi.org/internationally-recognised-core,9698.html
See the references to caste discrimination here:
http://idsn.org/news-resources/idsn-news/read/article/ituc-report-highlights-caste-discrimination/128/
New Report ICJ - Access to Justice: Human Rights Abuses Involving Corporations in India
This well-researched report by the International Commission of Justice aims to critically examine legal remedies, both judicial and non-judicial, available under Indian law to victims of human rights abuses by companies. There are three main objectives of this examination: (i) to assess the efficacy of the existing regulatory framework; (ii) to identify major obstacles that victims experience in holding companies accountable for breaching their human rights obligations; and (iii) to outline recommendations that should help in overcoming these obstacles. The report refers also to the following companies: Enron, Coca Cola, ICICI Bank, PepsiCo, POSCO, Tata, Union Carbide and Vedanta Resources.
See the report here:
http://www.icj.org/dwn/database/AccesstoJustice-India-ElecDist-July2011.pdf
See an article in The Hindu Business Line here:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/article2476734.ece?homepage=true
New articles on website Dalit Network Netherlands (and IDSN)
The website www.dalits.nl contains many new articles on caste-based discrimination in e.g. Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom. Many of them and more can also be found on www.idsn.org. Have e.g. a look at:
* Caste-based slavery in the mining sector highlighted in UN debate
* Pakistan’s Dalits denied flood relief because of caste discrimination
* Microcredit Pitfalls: The Experience Of Dalit Women In India
* UN Committee: Caste discrimination in the UK should be outlawed
See: http://www.dalits.nl/english.html
Support the 10 campaign against child labour in the cocoa industry
Ten years ago the global chocolate industry signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol, a six-point roadmap that was to enable the elimination of the worst forms of child Labour in the cocoa sector of Ivory Coast and Ghana. However, according to Tulane University, none of the Protocol’s six articles calling for action were fully implemented, and the required industry-wide reform in the cocoa sector has not taken place. Tulane also documented the systemic nature of the problem: an estimated 1.8 million children are working in the cocoa sector of Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Civil society organisations and trade unions working throughout the world on ethical cocoa, including the Stop Child Labour campaign, have joined to speak with one voice on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Protocol. Together they call on national and international legislative bodies to implement legislation to ensure that companies get the task done. Core asks are to implement legislation that ensure that companies have their supply chains audited by an independent 3rd party, to oblige companies to publically disclose what their efforts are to eradicate the abuses, and the implementation of an independent oversight body that reports on progress.
You can read more about and support the campaign here: http://www.10campaign.com/
By the way: cocoa production in India is growing and Kraft/Cadbury are expanding their production. We would greatly appreciate more information about this development from any person or organization with expertise on the matter.
Kind regards,
Gerard Oonk
director India Committee of the Netherlands
Mariaplaats 4e, 3511 LH Utrecht
tel. 030-2321340
http://www.indianet.nl
