Access to Remedy

There are significant challenges for victims of human rights abuses particularly migrant workers who are at risk of marginalisation in gaining access to effective remedies. Existing grievance mechanisms that are designed without worker input are often ineffective and inaccessible, further leaving workers without meaningful remedies.  

Furthermore, power imbalances between workers and employers leave workers vulnerable to exploitation and retaliation if they attempt to report abuses. These barriers reinforce a culture of impunity that allows exploitation to continue unchecked

Corporate Accountability Ecosystem Building Programme: We strengthen the scope of civil society organisations and worker groups pursuing interventions against forced labour to use the business and human rights laws and mechanisms to access remedy. Our work focuses on equipping these civil society groups with the knowledge, resources, and tools needed to pursue accountability and remedy for affected rights holders.  

• Through this programme, we have designed training workshops that have equipped 30 frontline civil society organisations across Southeast Asia with knowledge and skills in judicial and non-judicial corporate accountability mechanisms, media advocacy, investigative methodologies, supply chain investigations, risk assessment and management, as well as interest-based negotiation and mediation to combat modern slavery in global supply chains. 

• We facilitate strategic connections among regional partners and international experts to foster knowledge-sharing and coordinated approach on transnational corporate accountability strategies aimed at pursuing remedies for human rights violations in global supply chains.  

• We provide technical assistance to our civil society partners to enhance their capacity to initiate or advance corporate accountability actions in the region. 

Legal Impact Hub and Clinics: Alongside our training initiatives, we have established a Legal Impact Hub in Cambodia and supported legal clinics managed by our regional civil society partners. These hubs provide vital access points for migrant workers seeking legal assistance and advice, while also strengthening the civil society network that underpins migrant workers' rights protection and advocacy. 

• Our Legal Impact Hub in Cambodia is a platform that brings together 12 civil society partners providing support and legal assistance for migrant workers in the region. The Legal Impact Hub has facilitated learning and resource-sharing among these partners and continuously evaluates new strategies and developments in both domestic and cross-border cases to develop best practices aimed at improving access to remedy.