Labour rights at Foxconn: an analysis of corporate responsibilities and state obligations against the UN guiding principles on business nd human rights

Abstract

Business and human rights have become a permanent issue on the global policy agenda since the 1990s, reflecting the dramatic worldwide expansion of the private sector at the time, coupled with a corresponding rise in transnational economic activity. Over two decades‘ development, the UN Special Representative John Ruggie presented the ―Protect, Respect, Remedy‖ Framework and the Guiding Principles on business and human rights to implement the framework. As one of the biggest and most rapid growing economy entities, China‘s development attracts the world‘s attention. However, a series of suicide among migrant workers in a company named Foxconn has raised public consensus on the condition of million migrant workers in China recently. The objective of this thesis is to indicate and analyze the reasons behind suicide tragedies in the perspective of Ruggie‘s Framework. The thesis based on a desktop study with multiple materials mainly from investigation reports. Based on research, the author poses possible suggestions to relevant actors according to the UN Guiding Principles