All sectors must respect the human rights of their employees and should assess the human rights impact of their operations.
Anglo American accused of human rights abuses
Anglo American, the mining group, is allegedly involved in human rights abuses in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Botswana and the Philippines according to a report from War on Want.
The campaign group published Anglo American: The Alternative Report on August 3 and claims that, even though the company is an international advocate of corporate responsibility, it’s own operations involve murder and fuels conflict. The report also calls for the British government to regulate companies that are based in areas of armed or militarised conflict.
Anglo American responded by describing the report as “inaccurate” and stating that “at no point in the preparation of the report did the authors approach the company to check facts or to seek alternative perspectives”. The company goes on to say that “as an organisation we have a commitment to dialogue and have close working relations with a wide range of civil society and governmental organisations” citing its affiliations with the World Bank/IFC, BITC, the Global Business Coalition and the Global Fund on HIV/Aids among others. It also states that it is not opposed to international regulation versus voluntarism but that where and how this regulation is implemented should be considered carefully.
Working conditions in Chinese toy factories, that supply companies such as Disney, SEGA and Hasbro, are “devastatingly brutal” according to a report from US-based campaign group, China Labor Watch. The report – Investigations on Toy Suppliers in China: Workers are still suffering – was published in August and describes wages as low, benefits as “nonexistent”, work environments as “dangerous” and living conditions as “humiliating”. China Labor Watch concluded that “corporate codes of conduct and checklist auditing are not enough by themselves”, calling policies at companies like Hasbro “short-sighted”.
The report says: “Instead of concentrating on improving product safety and workers’ lives, companies spend their energy creating beautiful pamphlets on social responsibility, disputing critical reports and shifting blame.”
The Walt Disney Company states on its corporate website that it is “committed to the promotion and maintenance of responsible international labor practices in its licensing and direct sourcing operations throughout the world”. Hasbro states that it is “continually striving to improve the working environment for those involved in the production of our toys and games”.
The IBLF and the IFC have developed a Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment and Management in collaboration with the UN Global Compact. The guide will help companies to understand where human rights challenges lie within their operations thus enabling businesses to manage risks. The guide offers an eight-step process through which a business can identify, assess and implement measures that will strengthen its contribution to human rights protection. According to the IBLF, the guide is a “work in progress” and will be tested over the next two years. The guide was launched on August 8.
John Ruggie, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, has published an article – Business and Human Rights: The Evolving International Agenda.
The article analyses the faults of the UN Draft Norms on the Responsibility of Transnational Corporations with regard to Human Rights as well as maps current international trends and standards regarding business and human rights.
It goes on to propose a strategy to reduce gaps in human rights protection in relation to the operations of transnationals.
The Coca-Cola Company announced on August 23 that it had joined the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights, a programme that helps to develop and lead the corporate response to human rights issues.
Neville Isdell, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company stated that the company pledges to “manage our business around the world in accordance with the highest standards of integrity with a specific emphasis on the rights of individuals in the workplace”.
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