"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"

Companies that have reoccurring human rights violations, or that support governments that consistently violate human rights, must be pressured to conform to standards that are consistent with our basic freedoms..... “ life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Individual action can make a difference.  One example of American citizens taking action, is the example set by university licensing programs.  Due in large part to pressure from students, many colleges now only purchase their clothing from designated suppliers who are “sweat free”.  As consumers, we should think ethically when making purchasing decisions, and look through to the company ethics and the procedures behind our products. The same holds true when allocating our investment dollars.

Many multinational corporations have histories of violating human rights. Many companies with good reputations domestically, falter with respect to overseas operations. Coca-Cola is an example of a company that has managed to develop quite a poor reputation for human rights violations abroad.

The resignation of Coca-Cola’s general counsel after he was prevented from conducting an internal investigation into such alleged violations, does not bode well for the Company employees overseas.  There have been accusations that Coca-Cola operators in South American bottling plants did nothing to prevent paramilitary groups from murdering employees who were organizing unions. Managers in industries abroad can use violence to prevent workers from organizing, in many cases with no consequences.  Socially responsible individuals should not invest in companies with this history. 

Companies have to be responsible for their actions abroad as well as at home. We exclude investing in companies that have serious and persistent human rights problems or directly support governments that systematically deny human rights.

We encourage investment in companies that create and implement codes of conduct that cover their entire scope of operations; that adopt comprehensive human rights standards for their international operations and practices, and actively address human rights abuses.

Resources:

Human Rights Watch: 
www.hrw.org

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights:      
www.Idealist.org

Amnesty International: 
www.amnesty.org