Human Rights Due Diligence as A Tool to Prevent Business Human Rights Abuses - A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Human rights due diligence is considered to be an essential component of international, regional, and national discussions about corporate accountability for human rights violations. It is a process in which corporations evaluate existing and potential human rights impacts, integrate and act on the results, track responses, and explain how those impacts are addressed. However, due to lack of research in this area to evaluate how effective human rights due diligence is and whether its purpose of preventing corporate activities that harm human rights has been realized in state and business practices. The components of human rights due diligence are outlined in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The UNGPs, provides for primary parameters for examining corporate accountability for human rights violations on a worldwide scale, and place a strong emphasis on due diligence. Recognizing the distinctive features of human rights due diligence is critical to the effective identification and management of human rights impacts associated with a business's operations, supply chains, or value chains. Despite the fact that there has been a lot published on human rights due diligence, many businesses are still unsure of what is necessary. Further guidance is needed to help businesses grasp the scope, meaning, and consequences of the Guiding Principles' human rights due diligence. This paper will look at prevention from the perspective of the business and human rights regulatory framework. This will be accomplished by defining important HRDD terms. The aim of the paper is to clarify what the UNGPs say about due diligence while stressing on the critical elements that businesses should be aware of.