Assessing the risk and root causes of child labour in scrap metal recycling in Gujarat

In Gujarat, India, there is a high probability that children could be working in scrap metal yards for smaller manual tasks - segregation, cleaning, packaging, selling, etc.. Since there is a lack of comprehensive data or even news reports on prevalence of child labour in scrap metal, it is difficult to ascertain the root causes specific to the supply chain.

Currently, the Dutch companies and other international companies are unaware about the extent of child labour in their regional supply chains such as India. Through this project, the focus will be on working with Krommenhoek metals on bridging the knowledge deficits on child labour and related decent work risks as well as its root causes in the scrap metal recycling supply chain. The risk assessment of child labour and decent work would entail identifying hotspots of child labour in specific, supply chain segments/activities where there is higher risk for child labour. This will also include on ground investigations in the areas with high risk of child labour to assess the socio-economic indicators and root causes of child labour in the supply chain. Additionally, an asessment of business production and existing policies of the company, its suppliers, buyers and other related stakeholders to address child labour would be conducted to confirm the link between company’s supply chain, actions and child labour.

The project envisions unraveling the possibility and root causes of child labour in scrap metal recycling. With the help of the findings generated by the local impact research, KMBV will have more leverage to initiate a dialogue using evidence on the risks and/or occurrence of child labour. Additionally, the local companies will be educated on the significance of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) as well as human rights due diligence legislations and their impacts on the businesses to influence their cooperation.