Promoting the rights of workers vulnerable to forced labor globally
The Challenge
Supply chains include hundreds of thousands of workers who seek to make a better life for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, some are subject to conditions that may contribute to forced labor, including high recruitment fees, personal debt, complicated recruitment practices, a lack of transparency about their eventual working conditions, and inadequate legal protections in the countries in which they work.
Guiding principles on forced labor are well-established, however, solutions tend to be fragmented across industries and geographies and only address certain aspects or specific points in a worker’s journey. Despite the fact that multiple industries share recruitment actors and corridors, solutions are often incomplete or implemented in parallel rather than working in conjunction with one another.
The Responsible Labor Initiative
The RBA has been at the forefront of addressing forced labor through the application of advanced due diligence standards, tools and programs in the global supply chains of its members. However, we believe that in order to accelerate change, this due diligence must be harmonized across multiple industries that share recruitment supply chains to drive labor market transformation through collective action. To catalyze this, the RBA launched the Responsible Labor Initiative (RLI), a multi-industry, multi-stakeholder initiative focused on ensuring that the rights of workers vulnerable to forced labor in global supply chains are consistently respected and promoted.
The Initiative is open to any company that supports the mission and vision of the RLI and whose primary objective in joining the initiative is the implementation of forced labor due diligence in their supply chain. Click here to join!
To listen to our podcast on ethical recruitment and the RLI, click here for our podcast.
Our Vision
The rights and dignity of workers vulnerable to forced labor in global supply chains are consistently respected and promoted through responsible recruitment and employment practices.
Our Mission
Members, suppliers, recruitment partners and stakeholders use their collective influence and application of due diligence to drive the transformation of recruitment markets, reduce the risk of forced labor and provide remedy in global supply chains at all stages of recruitment and employment.
For more information about the Responsible Labor Initiative, please visit the RLI website.
