Diewertje Heyl is Programme Officer Business and Human Rights at Arisa, where she has worked for over eleven years. Arisa advocates for the respect of human and labour rights in global production chains in South Asia, with a particular focus on addressing child labour, forced labour, and caste-based discrimination. The organisation is active in several sectors, including natural stone, garment and textiles, vegetable seeds, and leather.
Within the garment and textile sector, Arisa’s work spans a large part of the value chain, from ready-made garment factories and spinning mills to cottonseed production, cotton cultivation and textile recycling.
In her role, Diewertje contributes to independent research on working conditions, often looking beyond the first tier of production to identify risks and systemic issues deeper in supply chains. Through multi-stakeholder projects, she collaborates directly with companies to address and prevent human rights violations, facilitating dialogue-based and worker-centered improvement trajectories.
Diewertje holds academic degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies. She combines analytical research skills with a practical approach to strengthening workers’ rights and fostering corporate accountability.