La Isla Network CEO Jason Glaser spoke to the New York Times in the wake of disturbing reports that female workers at Indian sugar mills were forced into getting hysterectomies to keep up with the demands of the job, amid other labor abuses per the newspapers’ investigation. These abuses should be addressed immediately. Since the initial investigation came out La Isla Network has pushed Bonsucro to set up a task force to address this problem specifically.
A pilot project in which companies invested a fraction of their profits to improve the supply chain of a single sugar mill in each region where pernicious and still unaddressed issues remain could act as a Center of Excellence for the industry as a whole, said Glaser.
This model would be based on the approach LIN and partners like Ingenio San Antonio took with the Adelante Initiative. Such an approach can ensure the elimination of labor abuses and uphold workers’ right to dignified and safe work by providing local expertise and eventual peer to peer learning between producers. Glaser continued, “No one will go bankrupt or lose their competitive edge by making sure women aren’t forced to have hysterectomies.
“Developing a Center of Excellence in this part of India would be a practical and effective way forward on this and other issues in that supply chain.”
Every worker has the right to dignified and safe work. La Isla Network is encouraged to see the development of a task force within Bonsucro to address the reports of forced hysterectomies among female sugarcane workers. Moving forward, we hope to address this problem by supporting brands as they make the adequate investments with specificity to facilitate change in the sugar industry.
La Isla Network is an occupational health research and advisory nonprofit dedicated to ending heat-related illnesses among workers and their communities worldwide. Our mission is to protect workers in a changing climate. We develop and implement data-driven worker protection and management assessment protocols to improve the resiliency of workforces and businesses to heat stress. Our work is backed by best-in-class researchers, industry leaders, and government and multilateral institutions like the ILO. For more information including press engagements please contact in**@la***********.org
