Business and human rights | Amnesty International UK

Every day, women on Twitter face a barrage of violence and abuse: from racist and sexist attacks to rape and death threats, they've seen it all.

Twitter claims to be a champion of free expression, but women are routinely leaving the platform as the unchecked violence and abuse they receive becomes too much to bear.

Tell Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey that he must clean up #ToxicTwitter, making sure it's a safe space for women by enforcing its rules on hateful conduct and abuse.

Jack Dorsey: Clean up #ToxicTwitter

Shell: A criminal enterprise?

Our ground-breaking review of thousands of pages of internal Shell documents reveals Shell’s complicity in murder, rape and torture committed by the Nigerian government.

Why should trade deals be wrapped in secrecy?

If we don’t want to be lumbered with agreements that have scant regard for workers’ rights, food safety, environmental standards and the needs of the NHS, then we have to secure amendments to the Trade Bill.

Why palm oil in products is bad news

Next time you’re brushing your teeth take a moment to consider the label on the back. If 'palm oil' appears as an ingredient, it could mean that a child as young as eight was forced to work in hazardous conditions to put the product on the shelves.

World's top ten venture capital firms all failing over human rights due diligence - new report

All but one of the world’s largest venture capital firms have failed to put in place robust human rights due diligence policies, Amnesty International revealed today in a landmark new report.

Airbnb share listing: company is 'deeply compromised' by Israeli settlement properties

As Airbnb prepares to go public in a multi-billion-dollar Initial Public Offering share offering, it must withdraw listings of rental properties in the illegal Israeli-occupied Palestinian Territories.

Saudi Arabia: business leaders must avoid 'dirty deals' at B20 summit

Amnesty International is calling on business leaders participating in the “B20” summit in Saudi Arabia next week to avoid “dirty deals” and to indicate how they intend to prevent their companies becoming involved in human rights violations in the Kingdom.

Brazil: auditor calls out meat company JBS's claims over Amazon supply chain

A former auditor monitoring the supply chain of the leading global meat packing company JBS has called out the firm for falsely claiming its operations in Brazil’s Amazon region are deforestation-free.

Israel/OPT: petition to TripAdvisor CEO calls on company to pull out of settlements

Amnesty International has sent a 300,000-strong petition to TripAdvisor’s CEO Stephen Kaufer today calling on the online travel company to discontinue its operations in Israel’s illegal settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank.

NSO Group spyware used against Moroccan journalist - new investigation

The Israeli technology company NSO Group’s notorious spyware was used by the Moroccan government to spy on Moroccan journalist Omar Radi.

UK: shareholder challenges BP over 'glaring' lack of climate change policy

A human rights and climate change activist has challenged the oil giant BP over its lack of any reference to climate change in its human right policy.

Business and Climate

Shell’s outdated business model may finally have to change

Oil spills have contaminated the Niger Delta for over 60 years. As courageous campaigners are taking Shell to court, will this mark an end to the fossil fuel giant’s polluting business model?

Microsoft moves on child labour claims

Thanks to those who emailed Microsoft’s CEO asking him to investigate the use of child labour in parts they source to make their products - they are beginning to bow to pressure.

Time to recharge: Corporate action and inaction to tackle abuses in the Cobalt supply chain

Our world is increasingly powered by lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, ranging from the ones found in everyday mobile technologies, such as smartphones and laptop computers, to those in electric vehicles.

This is what we die for: Human Rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of The Congo power the global trade in Cobalt.

People around the world increasingly rely on rechargeable batteries to power their mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers and other portable electronic devices. The growing global market for portable electronic devices and rechargeable batteries is driving the growing demand for the extraction of cobalt, a key component in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.

CheckOut

Tell TripAdvisor to check out of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine

These businesses are making millions running Nauru refugee detention centre

The Australian government has created an island of despair, where refugees fleeing persecution are trapped and live in appalling conditions, while companies make millions from their predicament.

The UK is sweeping away human rights complaints against companies

When human rights complaints are made about UK companies, the UK government is more often than not ignoring them without investigation. There is a system to report abuses, but it's failing on every level - and letting companies abusing rights off the hook completely. Our Business Expert blogs.

Report - UK National Contact Point: How human rights complaints are handled

Our report Obstacle course: How the UK's National Contact Point handles human rights complaints under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises shows that the National Contact Point, a non-judicial means of making a complaint against a company suspected of committing or contributing to human rights abuses, is totally failing in numerous ways.

Bodo oil spill: 'I was so happy that Shell agreed to pay'

"I think we can have a bright future, but it will take a long time. Experts have said it will take 20-30 years for the environment to be restored."

In a massive campaign win, oil company Shell has been forced to pay £55 million in compensation to the community in Bodo, Nigeria, after their lives were devastated by two huge oil spills.

Oil giant Shell humbled by Bodo fishermen in UK court settlement

After years of shirking responsibility, oil giant Shell has been forced to pay damages to fisherman living on the soiled land in the Niger Delta.

Shell must now pay billions in compensation to the Bodo community. It won't bring back the fishes or clean water, but it's long-overdue recognition from the company that ruined their land and livelihoods.

Shell’s day of reckoning approaches

Oil company Shell has been asked to make amends for spillages in the Niger Delta that have ruined the land and livelihood of the people living there.
The UN has ruled that Shell and the Nigerian government owe Niger Delta inhabitants - yet not all that much has changed since the ruling. Peter blogs on why Shell's time is running out.