Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) is pushing for corporations, both national and multi-national, to be deemed as parties that can also be held liable for human rights violations.

Up until now, Komnas HAM has faced difficulties when it has to summon corporations as parties guilty of gross human rights violations. Yet the violations committed by corporations are no less serious than when the perpetrators are the state or social groups.

Komnas HAM deputy chairperson Nur Kholis revealed that in 2008 corporations were ranked second place as the parties most reported to Komnas HAM. The crimes committed by corporations moreover are broader in scale in terms of the number of victims.

In first place for institutions reported to Komnas HAM is the police with as many as 1,106 cases followed by corporations or companies with as many as 748 cases. “Komnas HAM wants to push for corporations, as violators of gross human rights violations, to be acted against also. Corporate crimes usually result in larger numbers of victims of human rights violations”, said Kholis in Jakarta on Thursday March 3.

ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) chairperson Rafendi Djamin said that it is time for corporations, particularly those operating in Third World countries such as Indonesia, to also be liable if human rights violations that occur in their operational area. (BIL)

Source: Pelanggaran Hak Asasi: Korporasi Harus Ikut Bertanggung Jawab – Kompas, Sabtu, 05 Maret 2011

[Translated by James Balowski.]