Weekly Update 15 May
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
We advance human rights in business. We track over 10,000 companies, and help the vulnerable eradicate abuse.
LEAD STORY
MediaNama, Ekō; India Civil Watch International; London Story?
Ekō, India Civil Watch International (ICWI), and London Story allege?Meta's failure to properly moderate content during India's elections has facilitated the spread of misinformation and harmful content targeting various marginalised groups, including Muslims and women lawmakers, journalists, and activists. ? The report uncovered 36 ads with over 65m?impressions which?potentially violated Indian election laws. The ads reportedly disseminated hate speech, Islamophobia and?misinformation. Similarly, a?network of public Facebook pages sharing content containing misleading claims and Islamophobic rhetoric reportedly amassed over 10m?interactions and nearly 35m?video views within 90 days? We invited Meta to respond to the allegations; it said upon receiving the report ‘any actionable content that it contained was escalated to the relevant internal teams for review and appropriate action’.?
See also; the Election Commission of India has released guidelines for ‘responsible and ethical use of social media platforms’ during the election period. The guidelines were in?response to a complaint filed by political party BJP regarding the spread of edited and AI-manipulated deep fake videos negatively portraying parties and politicians on social media.?
FROM US
Mathieu Vervynckt, Swedwatch?
Sweden’s fresh support for the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – following an initial sceptical stance from the current Govt?– demonstrates the growing, decisive commitment within the EU Council?to hold companies accountable for human rights abuse, argues Mathieu Vervynckt, Swedwatch.?
BHR IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED AREAS
ISRAEL/OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
7amleh?
The report by 7amleh?alleges discriminatory Youtube policies permitted ads which?contributed to inciting hatred and violence against Palestinians, while inhibiting freedom of expression by hindering content about Palestinian lives, and de-monetising and restricting content criticising Israel's actions in Gaza. We invited Google (Youtube’s parent company) to respond to the allegations; it did not.?
The Wire?
Indian migrant workers in Israel recruited by the state-owned National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) are being subjected to serious safety concerns. Recently, 60 Indian construction workers left Israel due to escalating dangers, including a fatal missile attack near the Lebanon border. Trade unions in India have expressed concerns about the safety of Indian workers in Israel. We invited NSDC to respond to the allegations and?outline what heightened due diligence it is conducting to assess human rights impacts of its recruitment of Indian workers to Israel. It did not respond.?
INTERNATIONAL
PAX,?CEHRI?
The complaint, brought by human rights groups CEHRI and PAX,?accuses OMV?executives of aiding serious crimes committed by government forces between 1999 and 2003, in partnership with Lundin Energy. The consortium allegedly sought to gain control of an oil exploration area. OMV has denied wrongdoing, stating Lundin managed the day-to-day operations of the consortium. 2 former executives of Lundin are presently standing trial in Stockholm.?
100 large companies, SMEs & networks
100 (as of 14 May) large companies, SMEs and networks have united to endorse the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) again at its final stage of adoption, involving a final formal confirmation from EU Member States scheduled for the end of May. Signatories include?Aldi Süd Holding,?Cisco,?Ingka Group | IKEA,?H&M Group,?Maersk, Nokia,?Ritter Sport and?Scania. The statement calls on European decision makers to now finally adopt the legislation."
AFRICA
The?Newshawks
A new investigation claims 40 families were reportedly displaced from their ancestral land to make way for the lithium mining operations of Max Mind Investments Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of Chinese mining giant Shenzhen Chengxin Lithium Group. Members of the displaced families claim they were coerced into signing compensation agreements, threatened with forced removal by the government. The families also claim the compensation they received was insufficient, and many allegedly now live in poverty after losing their livelihoods. A spokesperson for Max Mind said ‘the families were properly engaged even from the start of exploration [...] the agreement was read through and explained [...] corrections were done until we had a fine document that everyone agreed on’.?
Spiegel?
An environmental audit commissioned by BMW revealed high arsenic concentrations in waste and water collection systems around the mine. Scientists previously called for ‘immediate action’ after research indicated large quantities of arsenic were being released into the environment from the mine, resulting in arsenic levels in a nearby river exceeding WHO limits for drinking water. BMW said it would?not withdraw the supply contract with Managem but plans to implement water management improvements.?
Just Finance International
Oil operations run by CNOOC in Uganda's Kingfisher Development Area are under scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses by military forces guarding the project. Residents claim soldiers from the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), protecting CNOOC's oil facilities, have forcibly evicted families and inflicted violence, arbitrary detention?and sexual abuse on villagers. Many residents have reportedly fled due to the abuse. The company has allegedly failed to act on repeated community complaints.
We invited CNOOC Uganda Limited and and other shareholders of the project,?TotalEnergies EP Uganda and Uganda National Oil Company, to respond to the allegations, as well as CNOOC’s 10 biggest investors and underwriters: Agricultural Bank of China;?Bank of China;?CITIC China;?Citigroup;?China Development Bank;?China International Capital Corporation;?Goldman Sachs;? Industrial and Commercial Bank of China;?ICBC;?HSBC?and?JPMorgan Chase. Only Citigroup responded. It said it cannot comment on specific cases, but said ‘we have detailed processes to evaluate potential environmental and social risks of proposed transactions [...] reviewing such risks is integral to our due diligence process for any financing decision’.
AMERICAS
Agriland?
The case, brought by a New York resident, alleges the presence of per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) in Ornua’s Kerrygold butter sticks. The plaintiff claims exposure to PFAS poses health risks, including cancer, fertility and developmental delays, and has filed several claims, including deceptive business acts and false advertising. The judge denied Ornua's motion to dismiss, stating a reasonable consumer could be misled by the ‘pure Irish butter’ label. An Ornua spokesperson said the claims ‘lack merit’. ?
BHRRC, Germanwatch, ProDESC, Fundación Avina, WEED, INKOTA
Civil society has asked companies and political institutions for their commitment and long-term participation to ensure the cross-company grievance mechanism (MRDH) for the German automotive industry in Mexico is effective. Its scope covers the entire supply chain of German automotive companies in Mexico, with the objective of addressing and mitigating human rights risks prevalent within the automotive supply chain in Mexico. BHRRC is part of the Multi-Stakeholder Board which?governs the MRDH .?
ASIA & PACIFIC
BBC?
领英推荐
Workers for some suppliers of Shein are still working 75 hours a week for poor wages, despite the company promising to improve conditions, finds a report by Swiss advocacy group Public Eye. The report follows up on a 2021 report which found a number of staff across sites in Guangzhou were working excessive overtime for low wages. The investigation also found?factories were failing?to enforce fire safety measures, while?workers faced penalties for defects in clothing?and were forced to make unpaid alterations. Shein told Public Eye it is ‘actively working to improve our suppliers’ practices’, and that suppliers are required to meet local laws and regulations governing wages and working hours.
KyungHyang Shinmun?
The fatal accident, which occurred at its Ulleung Airport construction site, marks the company's 9th death since the implementation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act in January 2022. The Ministry of Labor has ordered a work stoppage at the site and is investigating violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Offenses and Serious Accident Act. DL Group Chairman said the company ‘increased safety expenses by 29% from last year and plan to increase them by more than 20% next year’.?
Just Style ?
The recent increase in Sri Lanka's garment industry minimum wage, raised to LKR21,000 (USD70) per month, falls short of covering workers' needs amid?high inflation, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign. Sri Lanka’s clothing sector pay scale is already above the recently increased national minimum wage, but the garment worker union argues it is still too low for the country's high inflation, which reached 5.9% in February 2024.?
EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA
The Guardian; Bureau for Investigative Journalism?
An investigation revealed that between 2022 and 2023, 3,000 migrant health and social care workers faced deportation after their employers' right to sponsor workers was revoked by the Home Office. The workers, many of whom were left in debt after paying substantial amounts of money for care jobs in the UK, had 60 days to find new sponsors or face expulsion. The companies faced no further consequences. Instances include workers from India and Nigeria, who were not given the work promised to them by 24/7 Flex Care and S&K Care 24. A spokesperson for S&K Care 24 told journalists no care worker sponsored by her company had been given any work because it had not managed to secure care provision contracts with local authorities.?24/7 Flex Care did not respond to journalist requests for comment.?
World Today News?
The ruling aligns with a legal framework for platform workers established by the federal government in 2022, under which the presumption of employment is taken as the starting point, with the burden of proof falling on companies to prove their couriers are not employees. The decision means that Uber Eats must grant the affected workers the rights of an employee, such as a minimum wage and insurance. Uber Eats reportedly plans to challenge the decision in the labour court.?
New York Times?
Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, President Macron claimed?the Games are being built safely, but reports reveal undocumented workers face hazardous conditions. Official records show fewer than 200 injuries and no deaths at Olympic sites, however, an investigation by the New York Times?revealed?accidents involving undocumented workers often go unreported, and fatalities on related projects are excluded from Olympic statistics. ?
MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
Migrant-Rights.Org?
As Bahrain grapples with a drastic fall in fish stocks, migrant fishers allegedly face increased exploitation and wage theft. Only Bahraini nationals can hold fishing permits;?they?'sponsor'?migrant fishermen, charging them a?set?amount each month, usually offering the fishers a percentage of their catch back as compensation.?Authorities have intensified efforts to arrest and deport migrant fishers for unauthorised fishing, while sponsors?- whose labour practices allegedly?promote overfishing - avoid accountability.? ?
Amnesty International,?The Guardian?
Amnesty International is calling on FIFA to immediately publish and act on a review assessing its human rights responsibilities towards workers harmed delivering the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar. Despite receiving the review 5 months ago and approving its findings in March, FIFA has yet to disclose or act on the recommendations. A FIFA spokesperson said ‘the report is currently being reviewed and discussed by stakeholders. The findings will be published in due course once the review process has been completed.’?
Company Responses?
Company Non-Responses
ANNOUNCEMENTS
OHCHR
Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, OHCHR
OTHER BHRRC NEWSLETTERS
EVENTS
Details of these & other future events can be found?here . Please send relevant event information to Maeve Diffley: [email protected]
JOBS
BHRRC Vacancies:
Vacancies:
Further details & other recently posted jobs available?here .?To submit a new job announcement in business & human rights please get in touch.
Great newsletter! thanks for sharing!