Presentation at the Ottawa symposium of Community-Based Research Canada, May 2009.

1. Community-based Participatory
Research: A Tool for Social Justice
in a Turbulent World

2. 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

3. Current modern capitalist Also brought much
devt has brought destruction in terms
considerable benefits for of
many people • economic instability,
• longer life expectancy, more • social exclusion
access to education, facilities • loss of cultural diversity,
• more equalities – gender, and other critical values
race/ethnicity, class etc , • human/psychological
• more consumerism and insecurity
consumer choice, and • increasing consumerism,
• some extension of human rights materialism and
and political freedoms individualism, etc
Evidence from
 Human development report
 Living planet report
 Global environment outlook report

4. 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.

5. 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 1970
consumption 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.

6. 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.

7. 2 stories fr Asia
- local
- regional

8. 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

13. Research
(conscientisation .. learning .. action)
Organising
Practical and Srategic needs
Empowerment
Identities, Subjectivities, Agency
Objective material conditions
Subjective affective dimension

14. non-governmental organisation (NGO) which focuses on
Asian labour concerns
Vision
The 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.
Mission
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, and gender consciousness, while following a participatory
framework.

15. Research (education & training)
Campaigns
Publications
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.

16. 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.

17. 2 Education and Training
Education 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.

19. 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

20. ANROAV

21. 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

22. Platform to
Share their experiences Form a strong solidarity
to the other members group in Asia and
so that they can learn beyond Asia
from it
Demand OSH rights of
Share resources workers and victims in
Asia
Share expertise
Strengthen the OSH
Run joint campaigns movement in Asia.

23. • 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.

24. • 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.

25. 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.

26. 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 Foundati
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

28. PUBLICATIONS
Occupational Safety and Health RIGHTS ..
twice a yr
Campaign reports and solidarity action

29. 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.