The law exists to investigate and prosecute companies when their activities cause grave harm to human rights, but the issue gets complicated when multiple jurisdictions are involved, and where political will is lacking. In this podcast with IHRB’s Salil Tripathi, legal expert Anita Ramasastry points out three recent cases from Brazil, Sudan, and Syria which show that governments are taking the cases seriously. She also points out the work of the UN Working Group for Business and Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to clarify corporate responsibility. Anita Ramasastry is a Member of the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights. She is also the UW Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle. Her research interests include business and human rights, anti-corruption and law and development. Her current research focuses on the role of business in armed conflict. Author of numerous scholarly articles and reports, she has worked extensively on commerce, crime, and conflict, and human rights due diligence. From 2009 – 2011, Ramasastry served as a senior advisor in the Obama Administration, working in the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce. She is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School and the University of Sydney.
The law exists to investigate and prosecute companies when their activities cause grave harm to human rights, but the issue gets complicated when multiple jurisdictions are involved, and where political will is lacking.