"Holding the Line: Community Resistance and Corporate Accountability in Asia”, 30 September 2025

… As home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, extensive supply chains, and rich natural resources, Asia plays an indispensable role in driving global markets. Yet this economic growth continues to unfold against a backdrop of systemic human rights violations, deepening inequality, environmental degradation, and escalating risks for workers, communities, and human rights defenders (HRDs)…

Despite the diversity, certain patterns cut across Asia. Marginalized and vulnerable groups —whether women, Indigenous Peoples, rural communities, ethnic minorities, or economically disadvantaged populations—bear the brunt of corporate abuse. Across countries, sectors such as agribusiness, extractives, and large-scale infrastructure development are repeatedly linked to rights violations, land dispossession, and environmental harm…

… Indonesia’s nickel reserves, which are centered on Obi Island in North Maluku and parts of Sulawesi, have become a cornerstone of the global electric vehicles supply chain…

On the ground, the impacts have been severe. In July 2024, a sediment dam collapse on the Todoku River triggered catastrophic floods in Kawasi Village, submerging homes, damaging infrastructure, and displacing hundreds across multiple villages. Yet the responsible company, Harita, failed to provide adequate remedy or engagement, and activists pushing for accountability faced intimidation. Health risks also escalated, …

The widespread prevalence of informal employment and the resulting lack of social protection continued to exacerbate workers' vulnerability to exploitation across Asia in 2024. Many garment workers are frequently classified as informal or on temporary contracts, effectively denying them access to essential social protections such as healthcare, pensions, unemployment benefits, or paid leave. In September 2024, an investigative report revealed widespread labor rights violations in shrimp farms across Indonesia, Vietnam, and India, which supply to major retailers such as Target, Walmart, Tesco, Aldi, and Sainsbury’s. The report documented how shrimp farmers and workers—most of whom operate in the informal sector—face chronic wage theft, insecure employment, and unsafe working conditions. Workers described being underpaid or not paid at all, subjected to toxic chemical exposure, and pressured to meet unrealistic production demands. In several cases, child labor was identified, reflecting both the lack of formal regulation and the systemic vulnerabilities of informal aquaculture labor…