The international legal framework on business and human rights and its domestic operationalisation : strategic litigation on mining and a healthy environment in South-Africa
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The debate on business and human rights attracts the interest of many parties, and regularly makes the headlines. On 19 January 2017 De Morgen, for instance, ran the following headline: “These banks do business with companies that violate human rights and nature”. The discourse suggests that few question that business enterprises should respect human rights. The legal meaning and consequences of associating 'business' with 'human rights' remain contentious, however. By clarifying the existing legal framework this thesis seeks to rationalize the debate. Special attention is paid to enforcing the responsibility of business enterprises for human rights through domestic judicial remedies. The analysis is concretised through a case study on adverse human rights impacts of environmental degradation caused by mining in South Africa. Based on the findings of the study, the thesis reflects on how the international legal framework on business and human rights should be developed further.
Authors: Lieselot Verdonck, Eva Brems, Koen De Feyter
Language: English
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2766321449