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Article

28 Nov 2017

Author:
Chiara Capraro, Womankind Worldwide & Ayesha Carmouche, CORE Coalition, on openDemocracy (UK)

Commentary: Women's voices must not be ignored in business and human rights talks

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…In recent decades, we’ve seen a proliferation of land-intensive, transnational mining and agri-business projects…in resource-rich developing countries…Consequences of the corporate rush for natural resources in the Global South…impact women in specific ways. 

Women are the majority of the world’s small-scale farmers and are primarily responsible for providing care, food and water for their families…When businesses violate human rights, gender-specific impacts remain largely invisible…Women’s financial and physical security is seriously jeopardised by transnational land-based corporate investment according to a new briefing from UK civil society network on corporate accountability, CORE, and the NGO Womankind. Drawing on research from the Essex University Human Rights Clinic, it shows how women are also routinely denied opportunities to influence decisions regarding land use by overseas and domestic investors…

Companies must explicitly acknowledge gender-specific impacts of their activities and introduce policies and mechanisms to engage and listen to women’s experiences. They must document and be able to clearly show how this informs their activities, so that they can be monitored and held to account for commitments.

…States should introduce mandatory human rights due diligence, compelling companies to conduct risk assessments of their operations, including oversight of subsidiaries and supplier practices and prominent gender analysis and attention to women’s rights…