Corporate Social Accountability Unit

CORPORATE SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY DIVISION

SOCIAL AUDITING

ASK is one of the leading non-profit organizations in India providing independent monitoring service for a number of International brands based in US, Europe and Indian corporate firms.
Since 1998, ASK has been working in partnership with a US based non-profit organization Verite and has developed the expertise of conducting Social Audits. ASK has conducted more than 200 audits in Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey, Egypt, Maldives and India.

Our Approach

We adopt an objective, non-threatening and facilitative approach towards social auditing. It is in no way considered as an “Inspection” or a fault- finding exercise. Audits are used as means of strengthening the working relation between the supplier and the retailer. And further to build and sustain the long-term business relations and thereby benefit various stakeholders in the value chain. ASK facilitates the businesses in the process of meeting the emerging social and environmental standards in the global supply chain.

Our strengths

Strong commitment to improving labor standards and conditions for the benefit and empowerment of worker community.
Highly specialized, tested and detailed tools and methods used for social auditing
Experienced team of auditors with expertise in labor & human right issues, including child labor, contract labor, women's rights, harassment and abuse, freedom of association, discrimination, wage and overtime violations, and health and safety hazards.
Team members possess grass roots orientation and relevant skills to gather information from workers in a sensitive, culturally appropriate and effective manner.
Up-to-date knowledge of local laws and international labor standards such as International Labor Organization (ILO) Core Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other labor and human rights standards and conventions, as well as Industry Best Practices.
ASK has developed a Manual on Gathering Information from workers (GIFW) for strengthening internal social compliance departments of leading International brands.
Direct Grassroots experience in addressing the issue of child labour in the hazardous brassware industry.