Bangladesh has attained impressive economic growth – nearly 6% per year in the last decade – riding heavily on exports and private investment. This has unfortunately come at a heavy cost. Human rights violations by an increasingly powerful business sector are on the rise, with haunting images of the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashions tragedy before us.
Since 2005, fires and building collapses alone have killed at least 1,800 workers in the ready-made garment sector, the biggest export industry of the country. Environmental pollution, violation of privacy, data protection on the Internet, and child rights violations are all too common.
Across the country, human rights defenders (HRDs) and media workers who advocate for accountability of business are increasingly subjected to attacks, abduction, threats, and harassment, including judicial harassment, often with impunity. Just this year, shockingly, AB Siddiqui, husband of green activist Rizwana Hasan, was abducted in an attempt to silence her, reportedly, from speaking against the human rights violations of businesses.
This preceded a series of other cases, including the murder of journalist couple Mehrun Runi and Sagor Sarwar, while uncovering energy-related business irregularities, the disappearance and subsequent killing of the trade union leader Aminul Islam, and the harassment of illegal sand-mining campaigner Shahed Kayes in 2012.
Less known cases include the harassment of RTI activist Masum Billah, for campaigning against illegal land-grabbing by local business enterprises.
Business interests dominated Bangladesh’s parliament, with the direct involvement of nearly 52% of the country’s lawmakers in the previous parliament, in private sector businesses.
They are perceived to be commanding the increasing influence over legislation, minimum wages, subsidies, and the media.
Despite advocacy from the international community and national-level rights groups, state efforts are being challenged in harnessing trade and businesses to be more human rights compliant. For example, it has taken years of advocacy to set a minimum wage standard for the garments industry.
The United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on business and human rights provides a significant framework for states, the media, and the civil society to advocate and exert influence with businesses in addressing human rights.
Adopted unanimously by the Human Rights Council in 2011, the Guiding Principles put forth the first widely agreed-upon articulation of the state duties to protect people from human rights violations by businesses, the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights, and the indispensable importance of access to effective remedy for the victims of such violations.
Following the adoption of the UNGPs, commonly known as the “Ruggie Principles,” six countries – the UK, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain – have so far used the instrument to devise national action plans for the protection of human rights in businesses.
At least 12 other countries – including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Morocco, Norway, Switzerland, Tanzania, and the United States – have committed to develop action plans.
As Bangladesh pushes towards achieving middle income status by 2021, businesses and trade investments are set to proliferate with the government pushing for a GDP growth rate of 7.5-8% per year. However, such businesses must comply with international human rights standards, to benefit directly from sustainable market conditions, and cannot remain apathetic to human rights violations.
The UNGPs provide a robust framework to states for holding businesses accountable for the violation of human rights and ensuring greater protection to human rights defenders working on business and human rights issues. The principles call on all actors to ensure that “the legitimate and peaceful activities of human rights defenders are not obstructed.”
Bangladesh must do more to make businesses compliant to human rights standards and ensure greater protection to civil society organisations and human rights defenders.
This should start with an assessment of the UNGPs in participation with all category of stakeholders, of its compliance with laws, policies, and practice in the first instance, and gradually moving on to addressing gaps that offer greater protection to human rights defenders to allow them to work freely and fearlessly in holding businesses accountable where there are abuses of human rights.
