Business has a huge impact on peoples’ lives. Companies bring benefits to society through creating employment opportunities, technological advancement, tax revenues and investment. Business activities can also create risks and have an adverse impact on employees as well as the wider community in which the company acts. Well documented examples include for example work in harmful or dangerous environments, child labour, trafficking, and exploitation of migrants. At the same time all activities of companies are regulated by a set of laws and rules at the international, regional and domestic levels. The aim of the module is to provide an insight into the protection of human rights in the dynamic regulatory environment in which corporations act. The evolving mix of regulatory measures in the field has raised questions on the nature and content of corporate responsibility, but also on the effective implementation of human rights into the corporate context and how violations may be claimed and enforced in practice. The module offers knowledge of existing legal and policy tools, and discusses the merits and demerits with various approaches.
The aim of the course is to give an overview and understanding of the emerging regulatory framework of business and human rights. The course will address international human rights law as well as soft law initiatives and corporate self-regulatory measures. The course will also cover the changing roles of various actors including the role of the corporation as active participant in the process of norm setting.
Teacher and contact:
Teacher: Norbert Tóth (norbert.toth@abo.fi)
Schedule on campus (voluntory): Jan 7, 14, 21 and 28 (14:15–15:45)