Why is this important?

Because many of the issues arising where children’s rights and business intersect are in fact systemic, a company acting alone will find their ability to have an impact on an issue is limited. On the other hand, through collaboration with other actors, including with other companies, industry associations or through public-private/private-private/academic partnerships, a company can contribute to enhancing children’s rights in the workplace, marketplace or the wider community in a more substantial way than by acting alone.

About the scoring

A score of 10 is given if the company is a member in an industry association or initiative, public-private/private-private/academic partnership or involved in a collaboration between companies through which they explicitly address children’s rights issues.  Examples include:

• An initiative around ending child labour involving other companies.
• An initiative on preventing sexual exploitation online or in the tourism sector.
• Industry voluntary codes pertaining to, for instance, responsible marketing, nutritional values, product labelling, safe internet and mobile phone use, etc.

These are some examples of (but not limited to) industry initiatives that involve children’s rights issues (e.g.) that gives a score of 10 are:

• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
• Responsible Mining Initiative (BCI)
• GSMA (ICT)
• ETI (supply chain)
• ICI (cocoa)
• FairWear (apparel)
• Ethical Toy Foundation

A score of 5 is given if it is clear from public disclosures that the company is a member in an industry association or imitative, public/private, private/private or academic partnership in which they address wider human rights and sustainability issues, but children are not specifically and extensively included.

N.B. Involvement in a charity program is considered under indicator 1.3.1.

Indicator reference

Children’s Rights and Business Principles:

• All business should meet their responsibility to respect children’s rights and commit to supporting the human rights of children (Principle 1)
• All business should contribute to the elimination of child labour, including in all business activities and business relationships (Principle 2)
• All business should provide decent work for young workers, parents and caregivers (Principle 3)
• All business should ensure that products and services are safe, and seek to support children’s rights through them (Principle 5)
• All business should use marketing and advertising that respect and support children’s rights (Principle 6)
• All business should respect and support children’s rights in relation to the environment and to land acquisition and use (Principle 7)
• All business should reinforce community and government efforts to protect and fulfil children’s rights (Principle 10)