Human Rights and Development Foundation

What Human Rights and Development Foundation does

Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) is a Thai non-profit foundation providing legal aid, advocacy, and community outreach on behalf of migrant workers in Thailand. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Bangkok at 87 Soi Sitthichan, Sutthisan Winitchai Road, Huai Khwang, the organization operates four additional regional field offices in Chiang Mai, Samut Sakhon, Mae Sot (Tak province), and Phuket. HRDF serves informal and formal migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and other neighboring countries working across manufacturing, construction, fishery, agriculture, and service sectors. Core services include direct legal representation in Thai labor and administrative courts, multilingual rights education in Thai, Burmese, English, and Lao, complaint mechanism facilitation, social security and work-injury compensation claims, anti-trafficking case advocacy, and policy engagement with government bodies including the Ministry of Labour, Social Security Office, and Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.

The organization operates no technology product. Its technical footprint is limited to a bilingual WordPress website (hrdfoundation.org), multilingual content production including the Power Labor Podcast series, research publications, and downloadable legal guides such as the Volunteer Paralegal Handbook. HRDF is currently developing a Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) handbook and video content targeted at Thai employers and government audiences, signaling a programmatic expansion beyond direct legal aid into business and policy advisory content. Documented outcomes include 16 case studies of informally employed migrant workers assisted across five sectors, 14 forced-labor victims rescued, Supreme Court rulings securing over 1.6 million baht in combined compensation for 36 workers, and sustained legal aid following the March 2025 State Audit Office building collapse that killed over 95 mostly Myanmar migrant workers.

HRDF is funded entirely through grants from international organizations, primarily the International Labour Organization (ILO), which funds the Migrant Workers' Rights Promotion Project (August 2024 – August 2026), with additional support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Women under the Safe and Fair Initiative. All services to migrant workers and affected communities are provided free of charge. The organization is governed by an independent, politically neutral board and staffed by a small team of lawyers, project coordinators, and community outreach workers across its five offices.

Name

Human Rights and Development Foundation

Legal name

มูลนิธิเพื่อสิทธิมนุษยชนและการพัฒนา (Human Rights and Development Foundation)

Website

https://hrdfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Human Rights and Development Foundation is a Thai non-profit foundation providing legal aid, advocacy, and community outreach to migrant workers across Thailand through five field offices, funded primarily by ILO, IOM, and UN Women grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Legal Aid and Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Labor, Worker Rights & Employment Policy Advocacy (BPAGAFAH), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Migrant worker rights
• Legal aid services
• Human rights advocacy
• Community outreach programs
• Labour rights protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangkok

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. International Organization Grants: HRDF operates entirely on grant funding from international organizations. The primary documented funder is the International Labour Organization (ILO), which funds the Migrant Workers' Rights Promotion Project (August 2024 – August 2026). Additional support comes from the International Organization for Migration (IOM). All services to migrant workers and affected communities are provided free of charge.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HRDF provides free legal aid, court representation, and rights-based community outreach to migrant workers in Thailand across manufacturing, construction, fishery, service, and agriculture sectors. The foundation also produces multilingual publications, podcasts, and Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) training resources, and conducts policy advocacy that has produced Supreme Court precedents on migrant worker compensation.

Product overview

HRDF is a human rights NGO that operates a website-based information and advocacy platform rather than a commercial software product. The organization's offerings consist of legal assistance services for migrant workers, research publications and reports on labor rights and human trafficking, multilingual educational materials and handbooks, video content production on Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD), a podcast series on labor issues, and community outreach and training programs. These are programs and publications of a civil society organization, not packaged software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Migrant Workers' Rights Promotion Project An ILO-funded project providing community outreach, legal assistance, and research on informal sector migrant workers' rights issues across manufacturing, construction, fishery, service, and agriculture sectors in Thailand.
• Volunteer Paralegal Handbook (คู่มืออาสาสมัครผู้ช่วยนักกฎหมาย) A downloadable handbook providing guidance for volunteer paralegals assisting migrant workers, published by HRDF and available in PDF format.
• Power Labor Podcast A Thai-language podcast series discussing labour rights issues including episodes on the Employee Welfare Fund and workers' rights in Thailand.
• HRDD Risk Management Handbook Development A public communication initiative to produce a handbook on labour and human rights risk management based on Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) principles, designed as a learning tool for Thai business and government contexts.
• Complaints Mechanism and Remedy Knowledge Exchange Program A knowledge exchange program between government, civil society, and stakeholders to strengthen complaint mechanisms and remedy pathways for migrant workers, held in Chiang Mai-Lamphun, supported by IOM.
• Curriculum Development and Training Program for Migrant Leaders A training program focused on agricultural sector migrant workers addressing chemical exposure risks, health protection policy gaps, and workers' rights, including case studies from Chiang Mai.
• Migrant Worker Legal Representation and Court Accompaniment Direct legal representation and accompaniment in labour courts, administrative courts, and proceedings before the Social Security Office and the Workmen's Compensation Fund, provided free of charge to migrant workers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16 informal migrant worker case studies documented and assisted across 5 sectors (2024-2026 ILO-funded project)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Migrant Workers Federation (MWF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026HRDF co-organized a knowledge exchange workshop with MWF on complaint mechanisms and remedy pathways for migrant workers, held 26 June 2026 in Lamphun-Chiang Mai. MWF serves as a key civil society counterpart representing migrant workers in policy dialogue with government and NGOs.
• Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company LimitedminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBangkok Expressway and Metro Public Co., Ltd. donated 10,000 baht to HRDF as part of the company's 10-year anniversary 'Counting 10,000,000 Steps' campaign promoting equality and human rights. The partnership included dialogue on workplace diversity, migrant worker rights, and future cooperation.
• Migrant Networks and Civil Society CoalitionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRDF participates in multi-stakeholder civil society networks including: Migrant Population Civil Society Network in Samut Sakhon, Migrant Advocacy for Rights (MAR) coalition, Mekong Civil Society Network, and collaborative forums with academic institutions and labour rights organizations across Thailand.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Solidarity Center: US-based labor rights NGO with significant Thailand operations supporting migrant worker organizing, legal aid, and union formation. Comparable in legal services, advocacy, and capacity-building for migrant workers.
• MAP Foundation (Migrant Assistance Programme): Thai NGO based in Chiang Mai providing legal aid, advocacy, and community organizing for migrant workers, especially Burmese and other ethnic minorities. Directly comparable in mission, target population, and service mix to HRDF.
• Raks Thai Foundation: Thai non-profit affiliated with CARE International working on migrant worker health, anti-trafficking, and labour rights. Comparable in service scope (legal aid, community outreach, health) and target population.
• Empower Foundation: Thai NGO focused on human rights, anti-trafficking, and migrant worker protection with a strong legal advocacy and community organizing model similar to HRDF's. Operates across Thailand with comparable field-based outreach.
• Issara Institute: Thailand-based NGO focused on migrant worker rights, ethical recruitment, and supply chain accountability. Overlaps directly with HRDF in legal aid, anti-trafficking casework, and engagement with Thai employers on labour standards.

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch (Thailand): International human rights organization with active research on Thailand migrant worker rights and labor abuses. Operates in the same advocacy space but primarily through international reporting rather than direct legal aid.

Emerging players

• Fortify Rights: Human rights organization active in Southeast Asia focused on migrant rights, refugee protection, and impact litigation. Comparable in policy advocacy and using legal precedents to drive systemic change, though broader in geographic scope.

Regional players

• Tenaganita (Malaysia): Malaysian NGO focused on migrant worker rights, anti-trafficking, and refugee protection. Directly comparable in service model and target population, though operating in a different country with similar migrant worker dynamics.
• UNHCR Thailand: UN agency for refugees with significant Thailand operations on migrant and refugee protection. Comparable in serving non-Thai populations facing legal vulnerability, though with a broader institutional mandate and funding base.

Others

• ILO Liaison Office in Thailand: UN agency that funds HRDF's primary project and operates the Safe and Fair Initiative with UN Women. Functions as a funder/convener rather than direct service provider, but operates in the same migrant worker rights ecosystem in Thailand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hrdfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/hrdfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/human-rights-and-development-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Human Rights and Development Foundation