Community-based Participatory Research: A Tool for Social Justice

in a Turbulent World

Contexts globally, continent (regions-wise),

nationally, locally

Turbulent, Unsustainable State of our World

1 crisis in development

2 crisis in environment

3 breakdown and crisis in morals, integrity, security and disappearance of important values

Current modern capitalist devt has brought considerable benefits for many people

• longer life expectancy, more access to education, facilities

• more equalities – gender,

race/ethnicity, class etc , • more consumerism and

consumer choice, and • some extension of human rights

and political freedoms

Also brought much destruction in terms of

• economic instability, • social exclusion• loss of cultural diversity,

and other critical values• human/psychological

insecurity• increasing consumerism,

materialism and individualism, etc

Evidence from

Human development report Living planet report Global environment outlook report

The Human Development Report

GLOBAL INEQUALITITES ARE WORSENING(http://www.undp.org/undp/hdro)

Consumption has increased 6-fold in the last 20 years and doubled in the last ten. - People in Europe and North America now spend $37 billion a year on pet food, perfumes and cosmetics; enough to provide basic education, water and sanitation, basic health and nutrition for all those now deprived of these needs and still leave $9 billion over. 20% of global population accounts for 86% of global consumption and one billion people have been left out of the consumption boom of the past 20yrs.225 richest people in the world have a combined wealth of more than $1 trillion, equal to the annual income of the poorest 47 per cent of the earth’s population, some 2.5 billion people. Among 4.4 billion people in developing countries, almost three in every five lack basic sanitation, one third have no safe drinking water, one quarter have inadequate housing, while one fifth are undernourished.

The Living Planet Report World Wide Fund for Nature suggests that(http://www.panda.org/livingplanet)

humans have destroyed more than 30% of the world’s natural wealth since 1970consumption pressure from increasing affluence has doubled in the past 25 years. Half the accessible supplies of fresh water are used up; double the amount of 1960. fr 1960 to now: marine fish consumption has more than doubled; wood and paper consumption has increased by two thirds; and carbon dioxide emissions have doubled. humans now take between 25 and 50% of all the plant material that grows on the earth each year and 10% of all marine annual production.

The Global Environmental Outlook Report

UNEP suggests (http://www.unep.org/eia/geo)

that 80% of the world’s original forest cover has been cleared, degraded or fragmented and that species are being extinguished by humans at up to 1,000 times the ‘normal’ rate. Scientists at Cambridge estimate it would cost a mere $320bn a year to protect biodiversity, around a third of the amount governments currently spend on subsidising agriculture, fishing, road building and energy production.

2 stories fr Asia - local - regional

Workers Education Centre

ORGANISING .. EMPOWERING

WOMEN WORKERS

FTZ in Penang

workers centre

organising against retrenchment (lay off)

(solidarity for job security)

addressing internalised oppression

emotional subordination

Research (conscientisation .. learning .. action)

Organising Practical and Srategic needs

EmpowermentIdentities, Subjectivities, Agency

Objective material conditionsSubjective affective dimension

non-governmental organisation (NGO) which focuses on Asian labour concerns

VisionThe AMRC seeks to become a strategic research, education, and information resource partner of the broad Asian labour movement in the struggle for decent jobs, equality, and dignity for Asian working men and women.

Missionsupport and contribute towards the building of a strong, democratic, and independent labour movement in Asia by understanding and responding to the multiple challenges of asserting workers’ rights to jobs, decent working conditions, and gender consciousness, while following a participatory framework.

Research (education & training)CampaignsPublications

AMRC provides information, consultation, publications, documentation, and internships, and conducts research, training, advocacy, campaigns, labour networking, and related services to trade unions, pro-labour groups, related NGOs, academics, researchers, and professionals on labour issues.

Research

• Research and documentation of worker’s conditions is one of the core contributions of AMRC to trade unions and workers in the labour movement. It requires teamwork between grassroots research conducted by labour activists and others who closely support workers. AMRC’s role is to listen to local partners, and enlist other individuals and organziations to assist workers in reaching their goals.

• AMRC has been a major resource to the labour movement in Asia and our research has provided credible analysis of the situation that has been helpful for the labour groups in the region to devise strategies. Some of the important research include: comparative analysis of the labour laws in the region; analysis of the corporate codes of conducts and strategies of engagement, investment patterns of the ATNCs and labour conditions in automobile, garment and electronics sector; export of hazard to Asia with specific case study related to asbestos, comparative analysis of workers compensation systems in Asia; laid off workers in SOEs in China, WTO and its effect on Chinese workers; strategies to link the consumer movement in west with the grassroots movement in Asia (Triangle Solidarity).

• Whenever possible, research projects have been designed to dovetail with education and training programmes.

2 Education and TrainingEducation and training is an integral part of AMRC’s work since 2005. The

training programmes of AMRC can be varied in nature depending on the project concerned (e.g.) in areas of occupational safety and health where workers are made aware of the hazards at their workplace, for trade unions so that they can carry out training programmes on their own in areas like OSH, labour rights and other issues and capacity building of workers making them aware of their rights so that they can fight for better working conditions and not be exploited by the management. It also provide capacity building to partners on organising strategies, investigate, and explore the new forms of organising including using Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health as a tool for organising.

• Training on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) AMRC carries out Training of Trainers ( ToT) with its partners and in the region. The first ToT was carried out in Cambodia and AMRC has been carrying out trainings of a similar nature in other countries. The goal of these trainings is to work with partners in countries mainly in South East Asia and South Asia whether they be NGOs, trade unions or other OSH centres and make them the resource centre totally independent of AMRC eventually to carry OSH trainings, have core trainers in place in the institutions to be the key resource persons in the area and also make OSH a priority in the trade unions we are working with and finally to establish OSH committees in the factories and trade unions to serve the best interests of the workers.

Gina Form factory campaign, Thailand: AMRC and other NGOs helped the union of Gina Form Factory in Thailand to seek alternatives to closure of the factory. Eventually the union won a settlement with the owners, Clover Group, including outstanding bonuses and severance pay packages above legal requirements. (December 2006)

Gem and jewellery workers in South China: Hong Kong-owned gem and jewellery manufacturing sites cause silicosis disease in workers. AMRC is part of a campaign to help the workers find medical help, compensation, and disease prevention methods

ANROAV

ANROAV is a unique solidarity group, which works towards making Asian workplaces safe. Due to gross negligence of the OSH in the region the need to have a united front is essential. ANROAV combines the OSH rights struggle in different Asian countries into a one united struggle and demands better health and safety for the workers across the region

Platform to

Share their experiences to the other members so that they can learn from it

Share resources

Share expertise

Run joint campaigns

Form a strong solidarity group in Asia and beyond Asia

Demand OSH rights of workers and victims in Asia

Strengthen the OSH movement in Asia.

• To strengthen “victims” organisation in Asia and facilitate the formation of “victims” groups in countries where there are no such groups.

•  Work towards the promotion of OSH as a fundamental right of workers to realise its recognition as a core issue at workplace, national, regional and international level.

•  To help workers, trade unions, labour NGOs and other labour groups and activists (including victims’ groups) to develop their knowledge of OSH and to build their capacity to deal effectively with OSH-related issues. 

• To carry out participatory research on OSH which can help in understanding the problems, identifying trends (related to cheap production and relocation of hazardous industries to Asia), relating workers’ accidents and sickness to the work they do and establishing strong worker participation in OSH issues as a basis for decision making.

• To facilitate the active participation of workers, trade unions and “victims” organisations in all forms of decision making related to OSH and to work towards the creation of an enabling environment or democratic institutions (like safety committees)

• To promote exchanges for education and use of resources for OSH among labour groups in the region.

• To promote more emphasis on overall occupational health that is neglected because most OSH programmes target accident prevention.

• To strengthen the network of organisations working on OSH in different locations to improve solidarity and sharing of knowledge and resources.

•  To prepare easy-to-read publications aimed at demystifying the technical concepts and jargon-laden information about OSH and bargaining strategies for workers in simple, local languages.

•  To advocate better OSH laws and policies and their effective implementation at all levels.

• To prepare a database of medical and legal experts in all countries and make it available to workers and labour organisations.

• To run joint campaigns and develop solidarity on common issues in the region.

• To work with all the groups involved in the health of workers and community.

• To campaign against ‘corporate irresponsibility’ at work and campaign, in collaboration with environmental groups, against unsafe workplaces those threaten workers and the surrounding community as a whole.

Asian Ban Asbestos Network (A-BAN)

A-BAN is a network of organizations and individuals from countries and regions in Asia and Pacific which agree to work together on activities towards achieving common objectives

• facilitate a total asbestos ban  in Asia as soon as possible; • take steps to reveal the hidden epidemic of asbestos-related

diseases in Asia; • reveal the widespread asbestos contamination of Asian

infrastructures; • stop the international transfer of the asbestos industry; • obtain justice for all asbestos victims, family members and

affected communities; • achieve an asbestos-free society in Asia and globally.

Partners Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC)

The mission of AMRC is to support and contribute towards the building of a strong, democratic, and independent labour movement in Asia by understanding and responding to the multiple challenges of asserting workers’ rights to jobs, decent working conditions

Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE)

Japan Occupational Safety and Health Resource Center (JOSHRC) JOSHRC was formed in 1990 while the Sohyo Occupational Safety Center and Sohyo, which was Japan's largest nation wide federation of labour unions, were disbanding. Since its formation, it has been carrying out its role as a nation wide information since 65

Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee (HKCIC)

Labour Action China (LAC) Labour Action China (LAC) is labour rights nongovernmental organization based in Hong Kong. We are engaged in doing research on working conditions and labour relations of Chinese workers and supporting grassroot organizing as well as campaigns ..

PUBLICATIONS

Occupational Safety and Health RIGHTS .. twice a yr

Campaign reports and solidarity action

Asian Ban Asbestos Network (A-BAN) is a network of organizations and individuals from countries and regions in Asia and Pacific which agree to work together on activities towards achieving common objectives.