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Companies operating across the Middle East must uphold human rights according to a new report by an international human rights organisation.
The new report, released in Arabic, English and French by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre to mark Human Rights Day, examines how Middle Eastern companies and international firms operating in the region across a range of sectors are meeting – and failing to meet – their responsibility to respect the human rights of workers and communities.
The report highlights positive steps taken by some companies, such as an initiative by the founder of delivery company Aramex and involving telecommunications firm Zain, in Jordan, to generate youth employment and efforts by recruitment agency Glowork to empower women in the workplace in Saudi Arabia.
But the new report also flags a string of abuses, including the alleged involvement in torture by private security firms in Iraq; the creation of pollution that harms the right to health; and the denial of workers’ freedom of association.
Cases in the briefing include a protest against mobile network Orange in Jordan, alleging it helped the government temporarily shut down 300 online news websites; allegations that Saudi Aramco dismissed workers for participating in political protests; and concerns that companies involved in the Bahrain Grand Prix were turning a blind eye to human rights abuses by the Bahrain government.
Executive Director of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Phil Bloomer said: “For too long, human rights have been ignored by too many businesses operating In the Middle East and North Africa. Sacking female employees for being pregnant or failing to pay migrant workers for months of labour are things that we still see too frequently.
“But there is hope that the tide is turning, and scrutiny of business conduct is on the rise in many countries. “
For the full story see the January issue of Ethical Performance.
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