2003
Social Accountability Auditing
IIECL recognizes that employers play a key role to ensuring that child labor does not exist within its own production and the operations of its subcontractors. To that end, IIECL initiated its delivery of services related to social accountability auditing. IIECL staff member, Martine Combemale, a certified and experienced veteran in social accountability auditing with over 15 years of experience, began providing training, technical assistance and conducting audit reviews of several companies production and subcontracting operations. In this area, Ms. Combemale has completed a review and translation of company codes of conduct, developed audit instruments and methodologies for various industry sectors, conducted evaluations and reviews of company’s auditors, provided technical assistance and training to improve the capacity of auditors to address child and adult labor issues, and conducted a review of production to determine the level and extent of child labor within subcontractor’s operations with recommendations for the design of a monitoring methodology. IIECL staff has provided auditing services in the following countries:
· Bolivia,
· Brazil,
· China,
· El Salvador,
· Hong Kong,
· India,
· Peru,
· Thailand, and
· Tunisia.
Some of the companies and industry sectors that IIECL has worked with include:
· Nike (shoes, clothing and sports equipment), and
· Fair Labor Association (various garment industries and cotton industry).
As part of our social accountability auditing activities, IIECL staff co-authored a paper entitled, “Study of Relations Between Businesses and Non-Commercial Associations With Respect to the Concept of Social Responsibility.” The paper is written in both French and English.
Task Mapping and Job Risk/Ergonomics Analysis
IIECL staff, L. Diane Mull, also provided technical assistance and support for a USAID funded project in West Africa addressing child labor in cocoa production. The Youth Education Skills (YES) project involves the development of a vocational literacy, lifeskills curriculum for children engaged in cocoa production in Ghana. To support the activity, IIECL staff conducted a task mapping and job risk/ergonomics analysis regarding children’s activities in cocoa production. This study produced information about the steps in the process of cocoa production, the activities conducted by children, the equipment used, symptoms following the completion of these activities (including the measurement of repetitive motions and length of time performing such activities), record of accidents and injuries, perception of risks, and safe work practices used (if any). This activity included a review of the hospital admission records for work related accidents and injuries and a verification of activities performed through a review of adult workers.