Human rights: Asean firms among least prepared for them

EXPECTATIONS of responsible company approaches to human rights are rising fast across the world and the tremors of activism are beginning to shake Asia-Pacific businesses, threatening investment and profits.

Yet, South-east Asian companies remain among the least prepared globally despite the high risks in the region, where activists have accused many international and regional brands of using forced labour and debt bondage in their factories and operations, particularly in Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Indonesia.

The evidence is startling, even eight years after the introduction of the benchmark-setting United Nations General Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGP), which provide guidelines for countries and companies on how to prevent and remedy human rights abuses in business operations.