• Business and Human Rights
    Whether it is an oil company that relies on abusive private security forces, a tech company that censors or spies on users at the behest of a repressive government, or a corrupt government that siphons off the wealth of its nation, businesses and other economic activities can have negative impacts on people’s rights. Human Rights Watch investigates these and other situations to expose the problems, hold institutions accountable, and develop standards to prevent these activities. This work has included research and advocacy on human rights problems caused by corruption in resource-rich countries such as Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Nigeria, and Burma.
  • Map of Eritrea with location of Bisha Mine.
    © 2013 Human Rights Watch
    Eritrea: Mining Investors Risk Use of Forced Labor
    International mining firms rushing to invest in Eritrea’s burgeoning minerals sector risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take strong preventive measures. The failure of the Vancouver-based company Nevsun Resources to ensure that forced labor would not be used during construction of its Eritrea mine, and its limited ability to deal with forced labor allegations when they arose, highlight the risk.
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  • World Report 2013

    Without Rules: A Failed Approach to Corporate Accountability

    By Christopher Albin-Lackey, senior researcher

    Some of the most powerful and sophisticated actors on the world stage are companies, not governments. In 2011 alone, oil and gas behemoth ExxonMobil generated revenues of US$467 billion—the size of Norway’s entire economy. Walmart, the world’s third-largest employer with more than 2 million workers, has a workforce that trails only the militaries of the United States and China in size.

    Many global businesses are run with consideration for the well-being of the people whose lives they touch. But others—whether through incompetence or by design—seriously harm the communities around them, their workers, and even the governments under which they work.

    Read the full essay >>

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Corporations

  • UN: Emphasize Rights in Development Agenda
    Mar 25, 2013
    The United Nations Post-2015 Development Agenda should be grounded in human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
  • Zambia: Safety Gaps Threaten Copper Miners
    Feb 20, 2013
    Workers in the copper mining sector in Zambia remain vulnerable to abuse. New Human Rights Watch research found that the government of President Michael Sata, who promised to prioritize labor rights when he took office in September 2011, has made some improvements in supporting the oversight of the mines, but there remains inadequate enforcement of national labor laws designed to protect workers’ rights.
  • Should Companies Take Responsibility for Repression?
    Feb 13, 2013
    The Arab uprisings have been a poignant reminder of how the Internet can promote free expression and assembly, but also how governments can try abuse it. The medium used by demonstrators to organize protests and bring medical supplies to Tahrir Square, for example, was also used by the government to pinpoint human rights defenders for arrest, harassment, and even torture.
  • Eritrea: Mining Investors Risk Use of Forced Labor
    Jan 15, 2013
    International mining firms rushing to invest in Eritrea’s burgeoning minerals sector risk involvement in serious abuses unless they take strong preventive measures. The failure of the Vancouver-based company Nevsun Resources to ensure that forced labor would not be used during construction of its Eritrea mine, and its limited ability to deal with forced labor allegations when they arose, highlight the risk.
  • Reflections on the State of Business and Human Rights
    Jan 2, 2013
    For many years, Human Rights Watch has investigated situations where companies have had serious human rights problems. Whether it is an oil company that relies on abusive state forces or have abusive private security forces, a construction company that mistreats its workers or a technology company that censors or spies on users at the behest of an abusive government, there are many situations where companies can directly impact human rights.
  • Turkey: End Overly Broad Website Blocking
    Dec 21, 2012
    The Turkish government should promptly stop unlawfully blocking websites. On December 18, 2012, the European Court of Human Rights ruled, in the case of Ahmet Yıldırım v. Turkey, that blocking Google Sites in Turkey violated the right to freedom of expression. A Turkish court had ordered the complete blocking of Google Sites because of one person’s post. But the European Court found that Turkey’s legal framework was inadequate and did not prevent abuses and arbitrary application of blocking measures.
  • EU: Enact Controls on Digital Weapons Trade
    Dec 11, 2012

    The European Union should enact new controls on internet surveillance technologies that have enabled human rights violations. The European Parliament adopted a new digital freedom strategy in EU foreign policy in the plenary on December 11.

  • Statement for the Opening of the Euronext Stock Exchange, International Human Rights Day
    Dec 10, 2012
    Human Rights Watch welcomes the opportunity to open the Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris markets of NYSE Euronext on December 10th, International Human Rights Day.
  • Burma: Investigate Violent Crackdown on Mine Protesters
    Dec 1, 2012

    The government of Burma should promptly and impartially investigate alleged excessive force by local authorities against peaceful anti-copper mine protesters.

  • Joint Letter to President Kim: World Bank Group Should Commit to Human Rights
    Nov 8, 2012

    We write to congratulate you on your appointment as president of the World Bank Group (WBG). In this position, you have the opportunity to provide global leadership in the pursuit of poverty eradication and sustainable development. We were pleased to hear in your recent remarks to the United Nations that restoring the World Bank’s role in the international system is a priority for your future work. To achieve this goal, it will be essential to ensure that the WBG fully upholds human rights and acts consistently with international human rights law.

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