Human Rights and Business

Our research on human rights has two prongs. The first focuses on human rights issues in the extractive industries in Africa and much of this work involves case studies. For an award-winning case study on Anglo Platinum’s Mogalakwena mine and challenges associated with the resettlement there, click here. The second line of inquiry involves content analyses of the public reports of diverse companies, and this data is analysed statistically to assess patterns in how and why companies respond to human rights issues. A recent paper based on this research is available here.

This work has evolved from contributions to a broader project on business and human rights in South Africa, which was coordinated by the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship and the Dutch NGO, Aim for Human Rights. One of the main objectives of the broader project was to adapt the Human Rights Compliance Assessment (HRCA) Quick Check – a tool developed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights – to the South African context. This involved case studies of particular companies operating in South Africa, numerous workshops, and a national conference organised in conjunction with the South African Human Rights Commission in March 2008.