Lecture

Business and Human Rights

Abstract

If a corporation violates human rights, who can be punished, and what remedies are available to victims? These are among the many questions contemplated by businesses, industries, governments and legal institutions. The extent to which businesses can be held legally responsible for human rights violations, and consequently obligated to provide remedies, is highly debated. Considering the increasingly significant role of corporations in the world, this discussion will focus on legal regulations of businesses in a position to protect or violate human rights, as well as remedies available to victims of business-related human rights violations. Relevant cases and situations will be covered, as well the ethical and legal implications of corporations taking steps to protect human rights, leading to an analysis of the accountability businesses should or should not have in human rights protection, based on both corporations’ legal responsibilities to shareholders and people’s entitlement to basic human rights.

Bio

Carollann Braum is an attorney from the United States. Her practice experience is in Immigration, International Human Rights, and Civil Rights Law. Ms. Braum earned a Juris Doctor (JD) with honors and a certificate in Health Law from Oklahoma City University School of Law. She subsequently graduated from Notre Dame Law School with a Legum Magister (LLM) in International Human Rights Law. Prior to practicing law in Denver, Colorado, she worked with a research organization developing comprehensive practices to combat human trafficking in the United States, with a focus on organized criminal enterprises. She is currently a PhD student at Charles University in Prague, studying International Criminal Law, and lives in Prague with her family. In addition to her studies, Ms. Braum runs the Legal and Business English Institute, where she focuses on teaching technical legal and business terminology and language to lawyers and business professionals.