Weekly Update - 6 April 2016

Intl. Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ); Guardian (UK); ITV

• video shows how offshore tax regimes can be linked to human rights abuses, including human trafficking, war crimes, lack of access to education, healthcare
• Mossack Fonseca says it does "not offer solutions whose purpose is to hide unlawful acts such as tax evasion" 
• Global Witness says data leak reinforces its call for names of company owners to be placed in public domain

Vani Sathisan, Intl. Commission of Jurists and Bobbie Sta. Maria, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, in Reuters

• Communications Internship (due 2 May)
• IT & Digital Security Volunteer (rolling application)

• finds voluntary social commitments are not sufficient to prevent abuses
• we invited the companies & banks mentioned in the report to respond
• responses by Allianz, Alstom, Anglo American, ExxonMobil, Heidelberg Cement, HSBC, Inditex, Motorola Solutions, Nestlé, Pfizer, Syngenta, Rolls-Royce, Sanofi, Syngenta, Total provided
• Lockheed Martin declined to respond; we will indicate whether the other companies mentioned in the report respond in a future Update

• foreword by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

New York Times

• includes allegations of forced eviction, rape

• announcement also available in Chinese

Al Jazeera

Malawi24

Voices of America

London Mining Network

• we invited Cerrejón Coal to respond; response provided

Cedla

•  we invited Sinohydro to respond; it did not

Voice of America

Reuters; Phnom Penh Post

• statements by H&M, Inditex, Levi Strauss supporting freedom of association, right to collective bargaining in garment industry

South China Morning Post

• 13 pharmaceutical wholesalers currently being investigated

Telegraph (UK)

Jakarta Post

Christliche Initiative Romero

Kevin Hyland OBE, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner

• see also: Sedex releases new guidance for auditors to tackle under-reporting of forced labour

Financial Times (USA)

• will cover Israeli & intl. companies in a wide range of industries, including banking, construction, security services, utilities 

• use of financial databases to hold companies accountable for human rights abuses (7 Apr, New York)
• piloting a fair recruitment model in the apparel industry (11 Apr, Amman)
• "Responsible Business Summit USA 2016" (12-13 Apr, New York)
• implementing respect for human rights in procurement practices (13 Apr, online)
• intl. symposium: extractive industries & communities (14 Apr, Berlin)
• online course on trafficking & modern slavery for professionals (ongoing, online)

• Accountability Counsel (Policy Associate)
• Amazon (various roles in Sustainability)
• Disney (Specialist, Research & Projects, Intl. Labor Standards)
• Intl. Alert (2 posts: Senior Programme Design & Assessment Officer, Peacebuilding Issues Programme; Finance & Operations Intern)
• Rights & Accountability in Development (Executive Director)