SAI to Launch MY Voice, a 4-Year USDOL Funded Child Labour and Forced Labour Eradication Programme in Malaysia with Support from The Centre and Others

The Centre will, together with Proforest and Our Journey, support Social Accountability International (SAI), to implement a four-year US Department of Labour (USDOL) funded project that aims to combat child labour and forced labour in Malaysia’s apparel and palm oil industries.  

The Centre’s core contribution will be focusing on creating effective and sustainable remediation systems for any victims of forced labour or child labour in the palm oil and garment sector in Malaysia.

Why is there a need for this programme? 

Malaysia is the second-largest producer in the global palm oil industry after Indonesia, employing 77% of the country’s workforce. Its textile industry, while smaller in scale, is an important source of employment for about 67,000 workers. Both of these industries rely heavily on foreign and migrant labour.

As is the case globally, Malaysia has been heavily impacted by the pandemic, with negative impact on working families including lost wages and jobs, school closures etc. Within this context, issues such as child labour and forced labour have been aggravated; this USDOL-funded programme, will therefore be an important initiative to reverse negative trends in these areas.  

To achieve its goal of eliminating forced and child labour, the MY Voice programme is committed to building on and helping to leverage existing work to address labour issues that the two industry sectors, government and civil society are already involved in. Specifically, the programme will focus on three main components: 

• Supporting workers and civil societies to develop internal policies and practices to advocate for strategies and action in the target industries

• Working with private sector partners committed to participating in assessing/improving/testing methods of increasing worker voice in implementing social compliance/due diligence systems

• Drawing from relevant existing research, tools, and pilot initiatives on recruitment, to increase access to remedy for exploited workers to support companies and civil society to build effective and just remedies for labour violations.

For companies sourcing from Malaysia’s palm oil and garment sector who are interested in learning more, please do not hesitate to reach out to The Centre.  

SAI is hiring a Project Director in Malaysia

The 4-year programme is being overseen by SAI, a non-profit organisation advancing labour standards and working conditions around the world. SAI is currently hiring a Project Director for this programme. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Project Director to play a leading role in combatting child labour and forced labour in Malaysia. 

The Project Director will be responsible for managing and coordinating activities throughout this 4-year project, including working closely with Proforest, The Centre and other stakeholders. To find out more about this position and to apply, please click here. 

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number ILAB‐21-06. 100% of the total costs of the project is financed with USG federal funds, for a total of $5,000,000 dollars.

This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organisations imply endorsement by the United States Government.