Corporate power has a significant influence on political, economic and social processes in both national and international spheres, sometimes even having more wealth than governments. With this growing power, there is a definite risk that women’s human rights will be undermined in the quest for the consolidation of wealth. Due to entrenched discriminatory and patriarchal laws and practices and systems business activities often exacerbate gender inequalities with women bearing a disproportionate impact of corporate activities as workers, human rights defenders and as communities affected by the actions of corporations.
IWRAW AP’s work on business and women’s human rights aims to amplify women’s voices and lived experiences in the Global South, and influence regional and international processes to integrate women’s human rights in strategies to address corporate responsibility and accountability. Our role is to ensure that global discussions are grounded in local experiences and women’s lived realities. We use an intersectional human rights-based framework to demonstrate the gender specific impact of corporate abuses and work to strengthen understanding on gender-sensitive approaches to business and human rights so women’s experiences are not rendered invisible.
Through our convenings and capacity building we aim to create space for diverse groups to share their analysis and perspectives on business and women’s human rights to identify common areas of concern and priority issues with a view to build bridges and strengthen connections between groups, with emphasis on marginalised groups.