The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 91
Paragraph
Paragraph text
Corporate social responsibility and social auditing comprise a multimillion-dollar industry created by global businesses to monitor compliance with industry human rights standards across supply chains and at the enterprise level. Although those mechanisms have resulted in some anecdotal successes and benefited companies' public relations images, they have had little measurable impact on promoting assembly and association rights. Problems include their voluntary, non binding nature; lack of consultation with workers and communities; audit results having little impact on business decision-making; and limited, pre-scheduled factory audits that frequently ignore freedom of association. In Pakistan, for example, the Ali Enterprises garment factory was ravaged by fire, killing nearly 300 workers only days after it had been audited and certified in 2012.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
Equality & Inclusion
Year
2016
Paragraph type
Other
Reference
SR Freedom of Assembly, Report to the UNGA (2016), A/71/385, para. 91.