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Human Rights

Human rights resources

Overview

Disregard for human rights results in acts of oppression that strip humanity of basic freedoms, dignity, worth, justice, and peace. This, in turn, undermines a decent standard of life and progress for individuals and society. While human rights abuses are more prevalent in certain parts of the world, they exist everywhere, including in the business environment.

What does this mean for business?

It wasn’t long ago that human rights were seen as an issue only for national governments, and the private sector was largely left out of the picture. All of that has changed. Compliance with standards and norms of behavior in business is now regarded as an essential component of human rights protection.

  • In 1999, the United Nations created the UN Global Compact on Human Rights. This is the first international business network focused on human rights. It now has more than 1,000 members.
  • The United Nations’ unanimous adoption of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011 crystalized the role that business plays in the safeguarding or abuse of human rights.

Companies that adhere to global standards of human rights treat all people with dignity and respect. This means they provide healthy, safe, and dignified work environments. This, in turn, protects the well being of their employees and their business, including the economies and communities in which they operate.

Resources

Business risks

Failure to respect human rights exposes a company to reputational, legal, and transactional risks. The reputation and brand image of a company suffers when the company is implicated in human rights scandals. This often results in the loss of brand equity and/or share value. Reports appear regularly in the media that tie many companies, even some sustainability leaders, to human rights abuses. Recovery from an undetected human rights problem is not quick, easy, or cheap. The price of inaction on human rights should not be underestimated.

Here are a few examples of how human rights violations can occur and the risks these violations can pose to the business:


History paints a clear picture: without awareness and attention to the protection and promotion of human rights, negative social and economic impacts emerge.

What can businesses do?

The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights states that “businesses should avoid infringing on the human rights of others and should address adverse human rights impacts with which they are involved.” In practice, this means that businesses are expected to be aware, even vigilant, about the ways in which its activities, and those of its supply chain, can result in violations of basic human rights. And second, where abuses are discovered, a business has a responsibility to address the issue. This may involve addressing failures both within a company’s own operations and activities, as well as its supply chain.

Child labor

Child labor still occurs on a regular basis, in virtually all countries and across a wide range of sectors. Every company has a responsibility to evaluate whether and where child labor may be taking place in their own operations and those of their supply chain partners. Failure to conduct basic investigations and actively address abuses where they are discovered makes a company culpable in perpetuating the abuse and exposes the company to the risks of legal action, customer loss, and grave damage its reputation.

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Protection for basic freedoms

More than ever, businesses are expected to uphold international standards and norms for protecting the basic freedoms known as human rights. These expectations begin with implementing a human rights policy, including putting in place systems for conducting regular due diligence to assess the human rights record of the company, its business partners and suppliers, and the communities affected by their operations. They also require taking or requiring others to take corrective actions when the potential for or actual abuse is uncovered. Applicable standards include the UN Global Compact and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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  • UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights – The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, was the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. It promotes respect for human rights and freedoms and aims to secure them for all.

Forced labor & trafficking

Across the globe, there are estimated to be more than 25 million victims of forced labor and human trafficking. Documented cases of forced labor have increased in recent years, and it is likely that forced labor exists in some form in many supply chains. Every company has a responsibility to evaluate whether and where forced labor may be taking place in their own operations and those of their supply chain partners. Failure to conduct basic investigations and actively address abuses where they are discovered makes a company culpable in perpetuating the abuse and exposes the company to the risks of legal action, customer loss, and grave damage its reputation.

Resources