Legal Redress for Corporate Participation in International Human Rights Abuse: A Progress Report

The ever-changing world economy allows not only the exchange of money, but also the exchange of ideas that go beyond pure commerce and include those regarding human rights and individual freedoms. Commerce cannot truly flow freely between nations when nations censor and oppress their citizens. Corporations sometimes find themselves in situations where they enable, exacerbate, or facilitate human rights abuses by foreign nations whose laus, policies (or lack thereof), and inaction create situations that often leave citizens caught in the middle. The following article is the result of the Honorable Mr. Justice Ian Binnie's participation in a continuing legal education program conducted by the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section at the 2008 ABA Annual Meeting in New York City entitled "Ordering Liberty in an International Economy. The article addresses corporate complicity in international human rights abuses by exploring causes, challenges, and possible remedies.