By Jessica Holman, Associate Director
Globally, human rights activists are facing threats and violence as they stand up to extractive industries with ties to UK companies or investors. In Mexico, Jesús Javier Thomas, a land rights defender, called for the closure of an open-pit gold mine operated by Minera Penmont on communal lands. Penmont is a subsidiary of Fresnillo PLC, a UK-incorporated company listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company was ordered to pay compensation and restore the site. Tragically, three land defenders affiliated with Thomas have been murdered since 2018 for advocating for the implementation of the court’s rulings.
Peace Brigades International (PBI), a non-profit organisation that promotes peace and human rights, has called for a new law in the UK that would force companies with links to the UK to conduct due diligence on their operations and supply chains. This would prevent companies from contributing to human rights abuses or environmental damage. The push for this new law is based on an investigation by PBI UK, a member of the Corporate Justice Coalition, which found links between UK companies, environmental devastation and attacks on human rights activists in several countries. The report also detailed abuses in Colombia, Honduras and Indonesia.
PBI UK pointed to existing mandatory due diligence laws in France, Germany, and Norway, as well as the EU’s recently approved directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), as a precedent for this new law. The Department for Business and Trade said: “We are clear that no company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain, no matter where they operate in the world, and that businesses should act where they find issues.” However, a new law would change the onus of proof, requiring businesses to demonstrate that due diligence had been conducted, rather than simply refuting allegations of wrongdoing.
Other NGOs, over 150 UK businesses, cross-party MPs and a coalition of civil society organisations are also calling for the UK government to pass a mandatory due diligence law. In December 2024, the UK Government all-party parliamentary human rights group (APPG) discussed how to raise the profile of international human rights issues within Parliament and to investigate and publicise human rights abuses. Therefore, the proposed corporate accountability law would require companies to identify, prevent, and mitigate their impacts on human rights and the environment. It would also hold companies accountable if they failed to comply. Hopefully, calls for this legislation will be enacted upon to minimise the impact of human rights abuses and create greater corporate transparency.
