Access to Remedy in ICT Supply Chains: What KnowTheChain’s 2025 Benchmark Reveals

KnowTheChain’s 2025 benchmark just released a report in which they evaluated how companies in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector address forced labour risks within their supply chains. The report assesses several key areas of corporate responsibility, one of which is access to remedy. This criterion measures whether companies provide grievance mechanisms that are truly accessible to supply chain workers and their representatives, how these mechanisms are communicated to workers, and whether companies disclose information about their use.

Lack of accessibility and limited communication to workers

The report highlights that while 56% of companies disclosed the existence of grievance mechanisms, many of these were ethics hotlines designed for internal employees to report ethics-related concerns.[1] In many instances, companies also failed to explain how these systems are made available, safe, and effective for workers further down the chain. The eligibility for or access to grievance mechanisms is generally far worse for suppliers and small subcontractors who treat contract workers, temporary or piece-rate workers unequally.[2] One of the core issues, therefore, lies not in the existence of a grievance mechanism but in its accessibility and relevance to those who need it most. Only 13% of companies disclosed how they actively informed workers about their grievance mechanisms.[3]

Lack of usage

Another particularly concerning finding is that less than 18% of companies reported grievance mechanisms being used by workers in their supply chains.[4] Fear of retaliation remains a significant barrier to reporting, especially in environments where workers feel unsafe or unsupported in speaking out. Fears of reporting are also closely linked to employment insecurity which is prevalent in industries involving low-skilled labour. This challenge is even more acute in cases of sexual harassment where up to 70-80% of sexual harassment incidents in industry such as agriculture were not reported due to various factors stemming from lack of trust. Such statistics underscore that access without trust is virtually no access at all.[5] In settings where trust is low and transparency is minimal, workers may be reluctant to voice concerns or use the channels available to them.

What’s next?

This report and the ongoing lack of access to remedy mean that workers remain in unsafe and unprotected environments, where rights abuses remain unchecked. A crucial element in addressing this issue is empowering workers with the knowledge of their rights and building trust and opening up safe spaces for workers to report abuses. This is particularly important for women to break the silence and report gender-based violence and harassment they experience in the workplace. Education, awareness-raising efforts and support from NGOs, trade unions, and grassroots groups are essential for this. When workers understand that they have the right to report abuses and that they should be protected in doing so, it marks the first step towards a meaningful change.

Ultimately, grievance mechanisms will only be effective if they are designed with the people they are meant to protect. NGOs and worker groups could build an engagement with companies to co-develop grievance systems that are accessible, in formats and languages workers understand, and through channels they trust. Engagement with relevant stakeholders including workers, workers’ representatives and civil society organisations should not be the exception, rather it should be the rule for all companies’ human rights due diligence processes.

 Sources:

[1] https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/KTC_2025_ICT_Key_findings_report.pdf

[2] https://www.somo.nl/using-grievance-mechanisms/

[3] https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/KTC_2025_ICT_Key_findings_report.pdf

[4] https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/KTC_2025_ICT_Key_findings_report.pdf

[5] https://fairfinanceasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Report_FFA-2022_Harvesting-Inequality-The-Social-Impact-of-Financial-Institutions-Investments-into-Asias-Agribusinesses_Final.pdf