A Lot If You Go By How Cividep Has Been Inspired To Continue Its Social Justice Mission In The Year After Receiving The Esther Busser Memorial Prize
In ancient Greece, it was customary to honour top playwrights and actors with laurel wreaths and on occasion, goats. Then there are the carefully crafted Nobel Prize diplomas, handcrafted in 18 carat gold. Whether it’s goats or gold insignias, the tradition of recognising the best in the business is an enduring tradition that revitalizes and inspires individuals and organisations.
Cividep is no exception. And the 2021 Esther Busser Memorial Prize was certainly a great catalyst for an organisation wondering whether to mark its 20th anniversary or just quietly go about its COVID-19 relief work for exhausted workers bereft of jobs and income.
“This is wonderful news,” gushed a colleague after informing the team of the award and the upcoming online ceremony. The award Steering Committee had chosen Cividep India and 4 other organisations for the first and only edition of this prestigious prize.
Their email was succinct: “After delays caused by COVID-19 related restrictions, an independent selection committee has now considered the many applications based on merit and the criteria set in the call for nominations. Congratulations on this important achievement and to your outstanding work to promote social justice and decent work!”
20 Years Of Workers’ Rights
Decent work is something that Cividep has been preoccupied with for close to two decades. Cividep had come into being in 2000 anticipating the unrest and challenges that were to follow India’s adoption of economic liberalisation and globalisation policies. The founders were deeply concerned about the welfare of workers who were joining global supply chains in droves.
The in-house team of committed researchers and policy experts partner with workers, collectives, companies and brands to undertake in-depth awareness creation, research and stakeholder engagement. Their focus: low wage workers in garment, leather, electronics industries, and coffee & tea plantations. The aim is to safeguard workers’ rights and change the way corporations work.
“Cividep has implemented research-informed workers’ rights initiatives, with the intention to ensure that human rights abuses, violations of workers’ rights, environmental damage, and unfair business practices are addressed,” notes the award application. Over the years, Cividep’s collaborative work with grassroots organizations has resulted in systemic and behavioural changes in India’s booming garment, leather and electronics sectors and touched the lives of several workers, mostly women.
Who is Esther Busser?
It is fitting that Cividep received the prize in memory of a tireless and respected trade unionist, economist, and social justice worker. Before her death in July 2019, Esther Busser had worked with the ILO, UNCTAD, and ITUC. “Social justice and workers’ rights were at the heart of Esther’s work,” notes an obituary on the ILO website.
The EB awards committee also traces the 48-year-old’s deep commitment to social causes. “Shortly before Esther passed away, when commended on her impressive achievements in the world of work, she expressed deep regret that there was still so much more to be done to advance social justice and decent work.” Before long, friends and colleagues instituted the award to be given to individuals or groups in the Global South in honour of Esther’s wishes.
Work Ongoing
In the last one year, Cividep has been regrouping its energies to find new pathways to secure workers’ rights and corporate accountability. The prize money supports various approaches to help workers and their young ones, whose educational prospects were badly hit during the pandemic-related lockdowns. Some of it went towards scholarships for adolescent girls while another portion was used to organise mental health sessions. Now, the final set of the monies is being used to hone children’s English skills. Read about how adolescent children of garment workers in Bengaluru are finding Cividep’s Spoken English classes relevant to their efforts to build a better future. The spirit of the late activist lives on through these efforts.