Panel

Building Trust and Collective Action to Improve Worker Rights in Southeast Asia

ORGANIZED BY

Vietnam Rise, Ressources Humaines Sans Frontières, Tenaganita

16-Sep

15:45-16:45

Conference Room 3

This session will identify and create tools and spaces for workers to collectively organise and promote their rights amidst complex business environments and how these processes differ across different Southeast Asian contexts.

Overview

This session is about identifying and creating tools and spaces for workers to collectively organise and promote their rights amidst complex business environments. We consider how these tools vary across different Southeast Asian contexts. For example, one case study considers how migrant workers in Malaysia (who make up the majority of workers) and domestic workers develop trust and a space to collaborate. The Malaysian context differs from more politically closed spaces where governments surveil workers and thus require different tools to negotiate economic rights.

Why it matters

This session explores barriers to worker engagement (e.g., power asymmetry, forced labour risks such as visa obligations, risk of being blacklisted and unable to seek work elsewhere), how to go beyond limited channels for negotiation, and developing a structure for more effective grievance channels.

Who should attend?

General / multi-stakeholder
NGOs/CSOs focused on labour rights in Southeast Asia
NGOs/CSOs focused on international labour rights, specifically ones interested in how international labour rights standards can be enforced in politically closed environments
Labour rights movement leaders and actors in Southeast Asia

What participants will gain

Practical examples of how to build trust and adapt to the specific needs, relationship with and among workers over the long term
An understanding of challenges that affect advocacy for workers’ rights (e.g., state suppression, limited protection for migrant workers, convoluted business contracts etc).
Multistakeholder participatory action (e.g., international organisations, local groups, government, private companies etc) in ensuring workers rights are respected and enforced
The importance of channels adapted to specific types of issues (e.g., sexual violence, racial discrimination)

Krizel Patolot Malabanan

Human Rights Officer, OHCHR

Krizel Patolot Malabanan is a Human Rights Officer at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), where she supports the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. She has over a decade of experience working on business and human rights, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region and corporate accountability. Prior to joining OHCHR, she worked with the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre and the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, focusing on research, advocacy and engagement with civil society, governments and businesses. A Filipino human rights lawyer, she has extensive experience on human rights due diligence, corporate responsibility and access to remedy.

Aliénor Desclais

Project Manager, RHSF

Aliénor Desclais is a project manager at Human Resources Without Borders, a French organisation specialising in the prevention of forced labour and child labour, and the promotion of decent work within global supply chains. She develops and coordinates action research projects bringing together workers, companies, civil society organisations, public institutions and academic stakeholders to strengthen respect for human rights within value chains. Her work focuses primarily on the prevention of forced labour, the protection of migrant workers, responsible recruitment and the implementation of human rights due diligence processes. Trained as an anthropologist, she employs participatory approaches to foster dialogue between different stakeholders and co-develop solutions tailored to the realities on the ground. She has been involved in various projects, notably in France, Malaysia, Taiwan and Morocco

James Gomez

Regional Director, Asia Centre

Dr. James Gomez is the Regional Director of Asia Centre, a civil society research institute in Special Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC. With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Gomez has been a strong advocate for democratic governance and human rights. He has received the Human Rights and Service Fellowship from the Taiwan Democracy Foundation (2009) and the Taiwan Fellowship from the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2020). In 2018, he was awarded the Korean Democracy Fellowship from the Korea Foundation. Dr. Gomez has contributed to various publications on democracy and human rights, including an upcoming special issue of Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia titled "Eroding Electoral Integrity: Reasons for Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia." Dr Gomez holds a Ph.D. from Monash University.

Joseph Paul Maliamauv

Director , Tenaganita

Joseph Paul Maliamauv is a veteran human rights advocate, community organizer, and management consultant with over three decades of experience in social justice, leadership development, and organizational transformation. He currently serves as Director and Consultant at Tenaganita, where he leads initiatives on migrant workers' rights, business and human rights, labour rights advocacy, and anti-trafficking interventions. As the founding Chairperson of Amnesty International Malaysia, Joseph has played a pioneering role in strengthening human rights advocacy and public awareness in Malaysia. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with migrant workers, refugees, civil society organizations, businesses, and government stakeholders to promote dignity, justice, and ethical labour practices. His expertise spans human rights advocacy, social auditing, ethical compliance, community empowerment, and capacity building. A trained Labour Rights Auditor with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Joseph continues to champion the rights of vulnerable communities while fostering accountability and responsible business conduct.