How to do business with human rights?

There is often a field of tension between bussinesses and human rights. For example, in 1995 Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian poet and activist, was hung by the local authorities. Critics said Royal Dutch Shell was accessory at his death, because Saro-Wiwa fought against the blood-sucking of the local population by Shell. Moreover, in different countries, like in India, child labour is still an accepted way of raising the family income. In this way, a child’s right for education is being neglected. The problems of the relation between businesses and human rights generate more international attention, in different institutions. The United Nations, for example, have a Special Representative on businesses and human rights. Nevertheless, different companies try to to meet the needs of a human rights policy, by using the tools of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Is CSR sufficient to encounter the human rights violations of businesses? During the economic decline from the end of 2008, businesses seem to subordinate the question of human rights to making profit and restructuring the company. Is this process the same in different parts of the world, or are there does human rights policy prevail at different companies in the world?

Speaker: Mauricio Lazala

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