University of Miami law and business experts highlight the impact of human rights audits and other reputational and operational factors that are driving a new geopolitical corporate responsibility.
In mid-July, Meta released its first Human Rights Audit. The report, conducted by the tech conglomerate’s law firm Foley Hoag, summarized the business operation, but glossed over details of how Meta’s Facebook platform was rife with online abuse that fueled violence—especially in India, the company’s largest global market. Amazon’s recent human rights audit has been likewise criticized for omitting details about workplace discrimination, challenging conditions, and other irregularities.
Tensions between commerce and human rights have existed since the beginning of time, yet human rights audits are relatively new to the business field. These compliance indicators will continue to gain in importance as companies navigate the complex geopolitical terrain and are influenced by environmental, social and governance (ESG), according to Marcia Narine Weldon, a lecturer in the University of Miami School of Law, and Valeria Alterman, assistant professor of management in the Miami Herbert Business School.
Weldon, a compliance specialist, highlighted that the absence of laws requiring these types of audits and specific guidelines dictating what must be disclosed create a minefield of complications.
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