Workers' Voices: Putting Stakeholder Engagement into Practice in Human Rights Due Diligence Processes

Background 

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Effective human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) can prevent harm before it occurs and reduce risks to workers in global supply chains. In Africa, sectors such as digital content moderation and waste management remain largely invisible in corporate accountability frameworks, despite workers facing severe precarity and systemic neglect.

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This session will spotlight the urgent need for mandatory HREDD by amplifying the voices of African frontline workers—waste pickers from South Africa and digital content moderators from Kenya—alongside international advocacy organizations. It will explore how meaningful worker participation in risk assessments, grievance mechanisms, and monitoring processes can strengthen corporate accountability and access to remedy.

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By bridging grassroots experiences with global policy expertise, the session will examine practical pathways to implement mandatory HREDD in overlooked sectors. It will highlight how worker-led monitoring and participatory due diligence can transform corporate practices and state protections, offering grounded insights into the challenges and opportunities of responsible business conduct in Africa.

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Key Objectives

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• Amplify the voices of workers from sectors that are invisible or underrepresented in the regional agenda, showcase frontline worker experiences in digital content moderation and waste management.

• Explore how worker participation enhances the effectiveness of HREDD/ mandatoryHREDD with an approach from the ground up

• Identify systemic gaps in corporate and state accountability mechanisms.

• Share practical, context-specific solutions for remedy and prevention.

• Foster collaboration between civil society, governments, trade unions, and the private sector.

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Guiding Questions

 

• What are the lived realities of workers in digital content moderation and waste management?

• How can mandatory HREDD be effectively implemented in informal or precarious sectors?

• What role should governments play in enforcing corporate accountability?

• How can worker-led monitoring improve remedy mechanisms?

• What are the best practices for integrating worker voices into due diligence processes?

 

Expected Outcomes

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• Increased awareness of mandatory HREDD’s relevance in informal African sectors.

• Strengthened networks between grassroots workers and global advocates.

• Actionable recommendations for integrating worker-led monitoring into due diligence.

• Identification of collaborative opportunities for remedy and accountability initiatives.

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Background to the Discussion

 

Digital content moderators in Kenya are exposed to traumatic material with minimal mental health support, while South African waste pickers sustain urban recycling systems without recognition or protective equipment. These cases reveal deep gaps in corporate responsibility and state protections.

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The session will explore how participatory due diligence where workers are actively involved in designing and implementing accountability mechanisms can address these gaps. It will also examine how international frameworks can be adapted to local realities, ensuring that commitments to human rights translate into tangible protections.