MY Voice Project Newsletter

Establishing Malaysia's First Multi-Stakeholder Child Labour Remediation Model

Although Malaysia has child protection mechanisms in place and has ratified major conventions on child labour, there are no formal structures in place to remediate actual cases of child labour (Learn more about child labour in Malaysia). To increase access to remedy in cases of child labour, MY Voice is developing a Child Labour Remediation Hub that draws on an existing network of solution providers and resources that can be sustained and scaled over the long-term. Learn more about this exciting initiative.

Be Part of the Remediation Hub Pilot

MY Voice plans to pilot the Child Labor Remediation Hub beginning in June 2024. The program includes social dialogue sessions on access to remedy, rapid assessment, and child labour remediation services. We are currently seeking palm oil plantation companies to participate in this pilot. Please reach out to us at contact@myvoiceproject.org for more information.

Project Updates

MY Voice Welcomes Mewaholeo Industries

MY Voice continues to make inroads in achieving workers’ rights and ethical practices in the palm oil industry by welcoming Mewaholeo Industries Sdn. Bhd as its latest private sector partner (PSP). Recently MY Voice conducted an Introduction to Social Compliance Systems (SCS) training for Mewaholeo as part of their onboarding to the project. Through this partnership, MY Voice will help build their capacity to implement and strengthen their SCS for better worker inclusion and increased labour performance in their operations and supply chain. Read more about this partnership.

Promoting good social performance with partners in the garment industry

Over the past several months, MY Voice conducted social compliance assessments with our private sector partners in the garment industry. These assessments serve as important benchmarks, offering a comprehensive view of our partners' progress on implementing social compliance systems that effectively integrate workers’ voices. Both Classita and Ramatex engaged productively with MY Voice throughout this process, providing valuable insights into their respective social performance and management systems. Together, we identified priority areas for improvement, laying the groundwork for collaborative endeavors in 2024.

Join Us in Making a Difference

Private Sector

MY Voice is actively seeking private sector partners in the garment and palm oil industries in Malaysia who share our vision. Email us to learn more about becoming a MY Voice private sector partner.

Worker, community groups and unions

MY Voice is seeking worker/community groups, unions, and civil society organisations to join us in piloting the Just Good Work app, which provides essential, on-the-go information on labour rights—empowering workers with knowledge and resources to navigate the workplace confidently. Participants in our pilot program gain access to our mobile tool and benefit from a series of capacity-building sessions focusing on combatting forced and child labour.

Recent Activities

Child Labour Case Manager Training Launches in Sabah with Humana Child Aid Society

In Malaysia, over 70,000 children face child labor, with a significant concentration in Sabah's palm oil plantations. MY Voice and Humana collaborated on case manager training in Tawau to empower teachers working in these plantations to detect and address child labor risks.

Human Rights Festival 2023

10 December 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MY Voice showcased our initiatives, such as the Just Good Work app, to visitors at the Human Rights Festival organized by the Bar Council Human Rights Committee.

MPIC event against forced labour in palm oil

11 December 2023, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

At an event for companies in the palm oil industry to gather and discuss approaches to combat forced labour, MY Voice presented opportunities to participate in the project as a private sector partner.

Shaping the Future of Responsible Recruitment

29 & 30 November 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MY Voice participated in the Shaping the Future of Responsible Recruitment workshop, organized by Forum for the Future, presenting how the Just Good Work app can be used to raise awareness of workers’ rights and support ethical recruitment.

Cahaya Webinar: Raising Awareness on Child Labour Prevention and Remediation

20 November 2023

MY Voice spoke at a webinar hosted by Cahaya Society on World Children’s Day to raise awareness about the lack of a comprehensive child labour remediation programme in Malaysia and what MY Voice is doing to help fill that gap.

MYVoiceProject.org

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-37321-21-75-K. 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 organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.