Overview

The session addresses the gap between child labour detection and child labour prevention in investor stewardship. Many corporate approaches still rely heavily on monitoring, supplier compliance and remediation after cases are identified, but do not sufficiently address the household and structural drivers that make child labour more likely. These include low adult income, insecure women’s employment, unpaid care responsibilities, lack of childcare, migration, informal work, weak access to trusted grievance channels and purchasing practices that increase pressure in supply chains. The session explores what more effective implementation could look like when investors encourage companies and their partners to focus on reducing these risks over time, including in lower-tier and informal supply chains.

Why it matters

Addressing the root causes of child labour not only contributes to resilient supply chains and corporate respect for the UNGPs, but also longer-term welfare of societies particularly in the context of ageing demographics at the backdrop of which safeguarding human capital potential is of increased importance.

Who should attend?

Companies, civil society, investors.

What participants will gain

• A better understanding of what institutional investors can reasonably ask of companies, including evidence of prevention, credible remediation pathways, trusted grievance mechanisms, action on women’s economic empowerment and disclosure that shows whether risk is falling over time.

• A clearer understanding of how child labour risk connects to household income, women’s economic security, unpaid care responsibilities, access to childcare, migration, informal work and weak access to remedy.

• Practical steps for moving from child labour detection to prevention, including stronger child-sensitive human rights due diligence, better grievance design, family-centred remediation, attention to adult wages and income, women workers’ rights and economic security, and supplier engagement on purchasing practices.