"We support companies to embed human rights due diligence"

 

OUR WORK

 

Management consulting on human rights

focusright provides consultancy services that make human rights tangible for business.

We work with companies from various sectors to embed responsible business practices and human rights due diligence throughout their business and supply chains. We work in a pragmatic, business-focused way that is aligned with international human rights standards and legal developments.

As thought leaders in business and human rights, we build bridges between NGOs, businesses, academia and governments.

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YOUR QUESTIONS

 
 

From our experience working within companies, we are familiar with the types of questions that arise when human rights or social compliance come onto the agenda. To read our answers, click on the questions below:

 

OUR SERVICES

 
 

We support companies in the implementation of human rights due diligence

focusright works with companies to identify and manage human rights risks and impacts in their operations and extended value chains. We advise companies on their human rights due diligence process and corporate responsibility strategy by offering the following tailor-made services:

 
 

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

 
 

Examples of human rights issues businesses face along their value chain

Working conditions

Issues that may come up for companies:

Unpaid overtime; Unsafe working conditions; Lack of protective equipment and training for employees handling chemicals; Harassment of employees due to their ethnicity; Punitive terminations of employment for participating in strike actions; Workers aren’t allowed to take their weekly rest day.

Related human rights:

The right to health; The right to freedom from discrimination; The right to peaceful assembly; The right to enjoy just and favourable conditions of work.

 

Modern slavery

Issues that may come up for companies:

Women forced into prostitution; Forced labour in agriculture, domestic work and factories; Child labour in sweatshops; Entire families forced to work for nothing to pay off generational debts; Employers confiscating passports of migrant workers; Wage withholding from migrant workers to pay back recruitment fees.

Related human rights:

The right not to be subjected to slavery, servitude or forced labour; The right to freedom of movement.

 

Child rights and child labour

Issues that may come up for companies:

Aggressive marketing that exploits children’s vulnerability; Children left home alone because of parents working overtime; Hazardous working conditions for young adults; Child labour that prevents children from attending school; Producing products that are unsafe for children to use.

Related human rights:

The rights of protection for the child; The right to education.

 

Right to privacy

Issues that may come up for companies:

Failure to protect the confidentiality of personal data held about employees or customers; Pregnancy testing as part of job applications; Information about individuals provided to state authorities following illegal requests; Sale of equipment or technology that can be used to track individuals’ communication and movements to a state with a poor human rights record.

Related human rights:

The right to privacy.

 

Impact on health

Issues that may come up for companies:

Pollution from business operations having negative impacts on the health of workers and/or surrounding communities: The sale of products that are hazardous to the health of customers; Failure to implement appropriate health and safety standards leading to long-term negative impacts on worker’s health.

Related human rights:

The right to health.

 

 

Contentious land acquisitions

Issues that may come up for companies:

A company in the supply chain is associated with the forcible eviction of people from their homes or land and with other related violations; Contested land use by companies in the value chain creating large footprints on the land and the surrounding communities.

Related human rights:

The right to adequate housing; The right to freedom of movement.

 

Adequate standard of living

Issues that may come up for companies:

Poor-quality housing or dormitories provided to workers; Failure to pay a wage allowing for a decent living; Failing to provide adequate sanitation facilities for workers; Business activities pollute or threaten existing water resources in a way that significantly interferes with local communities’ ability to access clean drinking water.

Related human rights:

The right to an adequate standard of living.