Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Recruitment practices via social media platforms are increasingly leading to the exploitation of migrant workers. In Russia, African women were reportedly recruited through social media platforms for the ‘Alabuga Start’ programme, where they were promised work-study roles in hospitality. Instead, they were allegedly forced to work in a weapons factory assembling drones for the war on Ukraine, enduring harsh working conditions. Meanwhile, in Australia, Indonesian migrants were allegedly misled by Facebook job ads that promised grape-picking work but were forced into farm renovation under abusive conditions. Filipino workers also fell victim to fake job ads on Facebook for nonexistent farm jobs in South Korea, where they were charged high recruitment fees for jobs that never materialised. 💬 We invited all named companies to respond to the allegations. Read more in our Weekly Update ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eRs8wSzv

With 54% of energy transition minerals located on or near Indigenous Peoples’ lands, respect for their rights, leadership and shared prosperity is critical to shape a #JustTransition Join speakers including BHRRC's Caroline Avan at EU #RawMaterialsWeek2024 on 12 December 🔗 https://lnkd.in/enVipk_8 European Environmental Bureau

"We will not succeed in a model of sustainable development for everyone without advancing on this crucial point: mechanisms and instruments of businesses' liability." #BizHumanRights offers a guiding vision for sustainable development, writes Luiz Gustavo Lo-Buono in the latest insight in our series on the Binding Treaty. Subscribe for more insights on #BindingTreaty in next week's issue! 📨

Webinar 💻 Join us on 11 December to discuss responsible sourcing of battery minerals from Latin America. Our speakers will outline the specific human rights context in the region, including a deep dive into lithium and copper in Chile, with perspectives from civil society, industry and investors. We'll discuss policy developments and due diligence requirements for end users and manufacturers of minerals used for batteries, including the EU Battery Regulation, the Critical Raw Materials Act and the CSDDD, among others. BHRRC's Lady Nancy Zuluaga Jaramillo will be joined by José Aylwin from Observatorio Ciudadano, Jenny Vento from Sociedad Nacional de Minería, and Sergio Chamorro Avilés from the Consejo de Pueblos Atacameños. 📆 11 December Register 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ebAf7vg8

Employers are prohibited from confiscating employee passports under UAE law. But migrant workers employed to work on renewables projects revealed to Equidem that passports and identity documents are often withheld. One construction worker explicitly said his employer withheld his passport “in case I decide to leave the company without notice.”    Companies involved in renewable energy across the Gulf should adopt a migrant worker-centred approach to human rights due diligence. Read our full report 📖 https://lnkd.in/eMbPxTE6   #renewables #renewableenergy #justtransition #GCC

More than 60% of companies assessed by the World Benchmarking Alliance are improving their human rights practices, but there’s still a long way to go. Live from #UNForumBHR, Namit Agarwal spells out what he believes companies and governments must do next:

In the EU clean energy race, which interests win out? Rushing to secure access to minerals, or putting human rights first? Ahead of EU #RawMaterialsWeek2024, BHRRC's Caroline Avan, European Environmental Bureau's Robin Roels and Traction Energy Asia's Tommy Pratama look at Jadar lithium mine in Serbia and nickel mining in Indonesia and ask: how do the EU’s corporate human rights commitments co-exist with mechanisms to speed up the supply of raw materials, and in this balance, whose interests win out? Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/ex6Rw6t4 #justtransition #mining #CSDDD #CRMA #responsiblemining

Join IRMA and speakers including BHRRC's Caroline Avan at EU Raw Materials Week on 10 December on human rights in the mining industry. Register 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gvpdEK9a #JustTransition

“We need more implementation to make sure that what’s already there can help us get somewhere.” A positive perspective from Mutuso Dhliwayo, Executive Director at Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association on the huge difference that effective implementation of pre-existing regulations and frameworks could make towards a just transition. 

In the Gulf, where migrants from South Asia, South-East Asia and East Africa form the majority of the private sector workforce, human and labour rights violations – including wage theft, debt bondage and employer intimidation – are well documented. The growing renewable energy sector is no different.     For our latest report, Equidem spoke to 34 migrant workers employed to work on renewables projects in the UAE. Two thirds of them reported experiencing wage theft.     Companies in the renewables sector should use their leverage and resources to ensure workers in Gulf operations access decent work, including ensuring workers receive a decent wage in full, secure employment and freedom of expression in the workplace. Read our findings and full recommendations 📖 https://lnkd.in/eMbPxTE6