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