Financial Guarantees and Support from Buyers and Brands

When looking at the support needed from brands to enable a more effective and immediate child labor remediation, we see very similar trends for China and other countries. For the overwhelming majority,“ specific guideline / protocols for factories to follow immediately after the discovery of a child labor case” is the most needed support from brands. Our interviews with auditors from different countries also revealed that the lack of an immediate response protocol gets in the way of effective remediation.

• 63 % of auditors think that if brands allocate a special budget for child labor remediation, the process will be more effective.

“ I think the factory should not be the only finance source. The brands should also financially support the factory so that the child labor remediation can go on successfully. Previously, I haven’ t met any brand that finances a child labor remediation plan; all of them ask the factory to pay.”- An auditor from China.

“ Having a very detailed procedure in place and customizing the remediation plan to each individual case is another key for successful child labor remediation … A tailored plan could for example include psychological support to those from broken homes who don’ t want to go back to school.”- An auditor from China.

While all auditors seem to agree that the factories should shoulder some of the remediation costs to discourage them from hiring child labor in the future, the majority( 65 % in China and 59 % in other countries) think that the immediate response would be more effective if brands had a special budget in place for immediate access( Figure 20). Some auditors we interviewed believe that brands should even share part of the costs to make remediation more successful.

While more research and direct discussions with brands are needed to identify the best involvement of brands, the collected data can certainly help us reflect on the ways brands can take a proactive and strong role in child labor remediation.

. Figure 20:

Support and resources needed from the brands to enable a more effective and immediate child labor remediation

100 87 % 80 60 40 20

84 % 65 % 59 %

90 % 82 % 65 % 65 % 37 %

35 %

Best Response: Auditors’ Insights on Child Labor in Asia 20