There are alternatives to going to court to hold businesses accountable for human rights abuses and getting remedies. One of these options is making a complaint to “Internal Corporate Grievance Mechanisms”. These mechanisms can either be used before, alongside or after a court case. These informal grievance mechanisms are generally much cheaper and less time […]
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It may also be possible to bring a claim against the government or a public body in relation to human rights abuses committed by businesses. While the state bodies may not be directly responsible for the corporate human rights abuse, they may have violated their human rights obligations to prevent, investigate, punish and remedy the […]
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If a business has abused your human rights, they may have committed a crime (i.e. broken criminal law). In these cases, it may be possible to bring a criminal case against a business OR individuals in the business. Consider the following questions if you’re interested in bringing a criminal case:
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You can also bring civil claims against businesses in the national courts of other countries. For example, it may be possible for a farmer complaining about a land grab in Kenya to take legal action in the courts of the UK or USA. If you are doing this, you will still need to pay attention […]
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National laws and courts are the main way for seeking justice when business activities negatively impact your human rights: Businesses can be held accountable for human rights abuses using a variety of national laws that relate to human rights but may not be called “human rights laws”. The legal claim will then be mainly framed […]
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So far, we have shown that: Businesses can impact your human rights; and There are laws and standards that you may be able to rely on to enforce your rights against the state or a business when a business negatively impacts your human rights. This guide will now talk about what options you have to […]
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Businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights. This is the international standard of behaviour expected of businesses. We talked about how human rights apply to businesses in the introduction to this guide. This section will give more detail about businesses’ human rights responsibilities and how this international standard can help you take legal action […]
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Business can impact human rights in many ways. This section will help you decide if a business has impacted your human rights. Key Resource: Human Rights Translated 2.0: A Business Reference Guide This guide can give you more detail about what your rights are and how they might be abused by businesses. If you think […]
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Businesses are important to communities. They can provide investment, jobs and much needed services. But business does not always benefit people. Sometimes businesses harm people, communities and the environment. If a business harms your human rights, there are options for you to enforce your rights. You could take a case to court or try to […]
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EarthRights International works at defending people’s human rights and the environment and has been protecting people and the planet for over 20 years. Establishing these as ‘Earth Rights’, EarthRights International works against earth rights abusers. Finding real solutions for real people. EarthRights combines runs in depth training programmes for community leaders and activists and brings […]
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Action4Justice is a group of NGO’s united to support public interest litigation worldwide as a means to advance social justice.
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