Corporate Initiatives: A Second Human Rights Revolution?

Authors

Douglass Cassel, Notre Dame Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1996

Publication Information

19 Fordham Int'l L.J. 1963 (1995)

Abstract

This Essay examines the role of multinational corporations in protecting human rights around the globe. Part I analyzes the conduct of corporations, describes examples of corporations' involvement in human rights violations, and discusses the merits of greater responsibility of corporations. Part II suggests that the level of responsibility for a multinational corporation depends on the proximity of the corporation's operations to human rights violations, in combination with the seriousness of the violations, and proposes five gradations of responsibility. This Essay concludes that the evolving nature of the global economy is producing a shift in responsibilities from government to the private sector, particularly multinational corporations, and that those responsibilities may include the power and duty to safeguard human rights.

Recommended Citation

Douglass Cassel, Corporate Initiatives: A Second Human Rights Revolution?, 19 Fordham Int'l L.J. 1963 (1995).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.nd.edu/law_faculty_scholarship/611