BUSINESS AND THE POLITICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS: The Protection of Human Rights Defenders by State and Business as an Opportunity to Build Up a Democratic Society in Brazil

Autores

  • Ulisses Terto Neto University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36751/rdh.v17i1.1106

Palavras-chave:

Business. Human Rights. Human Rights Defenders.

Resumo

Abstract This paper considers the interplay of international law, politics and national law in the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs) that are challenging businesses practices in Brazil. It argues that the Brazilian State and transnational and domestic businesses have a responsibility to protect HRDs and should adopt robust means of doing this, embracing their work as opportunity rather than a threat in building up a democratic society. To demonstrate the validity of this claim, this paper highlights the role of HRDs in promoting corporate responsibility and in exposing and remedying the adverse human rights (HR) impacts of business in Brazil. It further explains how HRDs working on issues of corporate responsibility and accountability are under threats and attacks from both state and non-state actors as a result of their work. The paper then analyses some of the responses from the organized civil society, business, and the Brazilian State in order to tackle violence against HRDs. The paper considers that the relationship between business and the Brazilian State is dialectical and complementary and, as such, should be arbitrated by the international HR system. In this process, the paper calls for a binding instrument to regulate the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises to be adopted at the UN level and argues that it could potentially influence the rhetoric and practices in the politics of HR in Brazil. The final section provides an explanation for how the Brazilian State and transnational and national businesses should protect HRDs. Keywords: Business. Human Rights. Human Rights Defenders.

Biografia do Autor

Ulisses Terto Neto, University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom)

- PhD in Law at the University of Aberdeen (UK), sponsored by CAPES Brasil. - Masters Degree in Public Policies from UFMA (Brazil). - Human rights lawyer and consultant.

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Publicado

2018-12-19

Como Citar

Terto Neto, U. (2018). BUSINESS AND THE POLITICS OF HUMAN RIGHTS: The Protection of Human Rights Defenders by State and Business as an Opportunity to Build Up a Democratic Society in Brazil. Revista Direitos Humanos Fundamentais, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.36751/rdh.v17i1.1106

Edição

v. 17 n. 1 (2017)

Seção

Doutrina Estrangeira

Licença

Os autores cedem expressamente os direitos autorais à Edifieo.