The Rights of Others

About the Circular Textiles Greenwich HubOur goal is to create a space in the minds of people in the Greenwich community and beyond by creating a physical space in the University of Greenwich and a virtual platform. A place where sustainable consumption practices and knowledge is shared and promoted with a view to providing solutions which can be easily replicated and actioned at collective and individual level.Our first step is to promote sustainable consumption in the Greenwich community by creating a hub at the University of Greenwich for swapping clothes, organising styling and repair workshops, public engagement events on sustainable consumption and production and promoting change by raising awareness on human rights and environmental abuses in the fashion industry.The activities of the Sustainable Cloths Station will be based on the research undertaken by BHRE and partners.How it worksThe Hub currently showcases its work through the Clothes Swap and the Repair station.The Clothes Swap provides individuals with the opportunity to swap their pre-loved clothing for marbles during the Hub’s collection and drop off dates. On the swap day, those marbles can be exchange for any item of pre-loved clothing, depending on the number of marbles the item is valued at.The Repair Station provides the opportunity for individuals to learn how to repair and up-cycle their own clothing through the re-use of textiles that would otherwise be resigned to life in landfill.

In the photo: Yi Yeting, who is battling to survive occupation leukemia, holds a protest are part of his campaign to help other workers in similar situations, poisoned by benzene and n-hexane. Footage from the Documentary 'COMPLICIT': http://www.complicitfilm.orgHeather White is the documentary Co-Director and Producer of ‘ COMPLICIT’ - recipient of nine international film festival awards, news broadcasts worldwide. (2013-2018).Network Fellow, Harvard University, Edmond B. Safra Center for Ethics (2011-2014). Researched social auditing’s failure to protect workers in global apparel and tech manufacturers. Press interviews and coverage in over 300 news outlets globally re Apple Computer’s labor challenges in the U.S. and European media: NY Times, Bloomberg, CNN, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR, and European newspapers.https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html. President, New-Standards (2007-2011) Advised U.S. and European companies and campaigns on reputational risk related to labor rights violations and global supply chain practices. International team performed legal research, factory audits, in-factory trainings for US and European pension funds, public/private sector clients. https://www.responsibleinvestor. Founder / President Verité (http://www.verite.org) 1995-2005. Non-profit global labor rights supply chain monitoring organization working in 60 countries for unions, pension funds and 300 + global brands. Managed 70 staff and consultants; budget of $3.1 million. Raised over $8 million from public and private sector. Recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative ; Social Entrepreneurship awards: Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation, "Scientific American 50”, Fast Company magazine. Major grants from MacArthur andFord Foundations.

Mauricio Lazala, Deputy Director & Head of Europe Office (based in Frankfurt) of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre Mauricio Lazala, Deputy Director & Head of Europe Office (based in Frankfurt) of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Mauricio joined the Resource Centre in 2006. As part of the senior management team, he is involved in strategic, operational and financial decisions at the organization. Mauricio manages various regions and programmes. Since 2014, Mauricio is also a member of the Board of the EIRIS Foundation – Empowering Responsible Investment. In 2018 he was invited to join the Advisory Committee of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, and from 2017-2020 he sat on an Advisory Panel of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Previously, he served as law clerk at International Criminal Court, Programme Manager at Mexican Commission for the Protection & Defence of Human Rights, and Outreach Coordinator at B'Tselem (Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories). Mauricio has published various articles on business & human rights. Mauricio has a Law degree (honours) from the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Political Sciences and History from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. IMG Credit

ExpertiseSalil is a writer and policy adviser with experience in researching corporate activities in diverse environments and applying international human rights standards to identify human rights abuses and and working with all sectors and stakeholders to build accountability and advocate positive change. Current WorkSalil works on human rights themes such as discrimination, protection of human rights defenders, and emerging issues for business and human rights. He is also engaged in researching potential impacts of investments in countries opening up for investment after a long period of political or economic isolation. He also conducts podcasts with human rights experts and practitioners, and writes commentaries. He has also worked on issues related to land, conflict, and the information and communication technologies. Before IHRBSalil was at Amnesty International (1999-2005) where he conducted research missions to Nigeria and Bosnia, and developed policies and thinking on complicity, privatisation, and corruption. He represented AI in the forming of the Global Compact, the Kimberley Process, and the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights. At International Alert (2006-2008) he worked on projects in Colombia and was part of the team that developed the Red Flags Initiative. He is also an award-winning journalist and author of three works of non-fiction, and chairs PEN International's Writers-in-Prison Committee. Salil graduated with Masters in Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and holds Bachelor of Commerce degree from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics in India.  

Sheung so is a labour activist and Chief Executive of Labour Education Services Network in Hong Kong, where she is also the Senior Trainer. Sheung has extensive experience working on labour issues in China. Her expertise includes labor dispute hotlines and support services, empowerment programme design and execution, labour rights and worker representation training for workers, student worker rights, vocational school curriculum development and teacher trainings, and Corporate Social Responsibility projects with companies and multi-stakeholder initiatives. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Electronics Watch, and has been its first President (2015-2020). 

Makmid is a human rights campaigner, researcher and development communications practitioner, with almost twenty years experience working with national and international development and human rights organisations in Africa and the United Kingdom.See some of his work: Here

In this episode, the final one of Season 1, Olga, Seema & Raza reflect on the journey of the Rights of Others Podcast and what we have learnt during this season. We conclude we need to hear the voices of those on the ground, doing the work that ultimately leads to the protection and promotion of the rights of others. Season 2 is coming very soon! 

Ceylan Akbas and Dilara Altun are graduates of the School of Law and Criminology of the University of Greenwich and have co-lead the Greenwich Amnesty International Society and the Eco-team. They have interned at the Business, Human Rights and the Environment Research Group (www.bhre.org) working with Olga In corporate accountability projects. Dilara is currently studying her LLM at King’s Colleague London and Ceylan is working at BHRE on the DATUM project to promote sustainable consumption through technology. In this fascinating episode, we about their activism, educating ourselves and influencing others, social media, the climate emergency, fast fashion, war crimes, intrinsic inequality, technology and dealing with so much pain in the world. They demonstrate they are a key generation to build a better society and fight for the rights of others. They finally get Olga to admit she is an activist! IMG credit: Open Global Rights

In this episode we talk to Dan Leader, partner in the British law firm LeighDay. Daniel specialises in international human rights and environmental law, with a particular focus on business and human rights. He has extensive experience of cases against parent companies, complex group actions and mass tort claims, as well as cross-border disputes and jurisdictional issues.  He has was external expert member of the UK Government Steering Board which oversees the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2014-17).  Since 2018 he has been a Board Member of the Corporate Responsibility Coalition (CORE) and is currently a member of the Steering Committee of the comparative law project on civil liability for human rights violations at the Bonavero Institute, Oxford University and a member of the Advisory Board of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law’s Human Rights Due Diligence Forum.  He writes and speaks widely about business and human rights issues at conferences and universities in Britain and internationally.    His recent cases include:Rihan v EY Global Ltd [2020].  A whistle-blowing claim on behalf of a former EY partner who refused to sanction a cover up of audit findings of money laundering and conflict minerals in the Dubai Gold trade.Lungowe v Vedanta plc [2019] (with Martyn Day and Oliver Holland).  Claims on behalf of 1,826 Zambian farmers arising out of damage to the environment caused by harmful discharges from the Konkola copper mine.  The Supreme Court set out the jurisdictional principles in cross-border claims against parent companies.   Okpabi v Royal Dutch Shell plc [2018].  Claims on behalf of two Nigerian communities arising from systemic oil pollution by Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary.  AAA v. Unilever plc [2018].  A case on behalf of 218 Kenyan tea workers who contend that Unilever failed to protect them from the foreseeable risk of ethnic violence in 2007.  AAA v. Gemfields Ltd [2019]  A claim by 300 individuals for personal injury arising out of serious human rights abuses on and around a ruby mine in northern Mozambique. The Bodo Community v. Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd [2015] (with Martyn Day). A claim by a community of 30,000 Nigerians for compensation and remediation of their lands arising out of extensive oil spills in the Niger Delta which settled for £55m in 2015.  Other cases include the landmark “Mau Mau litigation” (Mutua v FCO [2013])  which resulted in reparations for 5,000 victims of colonial era torture at the hands of the British colonial authorities, the Baha Mousa Inquiry [2010] into torture by the British Army in Iraq and claims by UK residents detained in Guantanamo Bay against airlines for complicity in rendition (Binyan Mohamed v Jeppesen [2009]).  Img Credit: AllOurStock

Gemma works as Assistant International Officer at Unison and she is responsible for Business and Human Rights as well as Unison's relationships with Asian trade unions. This includes coordinating UK civil society UN Binding Treaty Group; working through CORE Coalition on a duty to prevent corporate abuse of human and environmental rights and for remedy to be provided should harm occurs.IMG Credit - Terence Faircloth / Flickr

Amol Mehra, Esq. is the Director of Industry Transformation at the Laudes Foundation where he oversees programmes relating to transformation of the fashion and built environment sectors to address the dual crises of inequality and climate change.Previously, Amol served as Managing Director of the Freedom Fund, a leader in the global movement to end modern slavery, and as Executive Director of the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR), a leading human rights organisation(Illustration by Kimberly Salt.) 

Meghna Abraham is a lawyer who worked on human rights issues for close to two decades. She is an accomplished investigator, policy expert, advocate, campaigner, and trainer. She currently works as an international human rights consultant and as an Interim Asia-Pacific Director at the Natural Resource Governance Institute. Meghna Abraham is a lawyer who worked on human rights issues for close to two decades. She is an accomplished investigator, policy expert, advocate, campaigner, and trainer. We talked to Meghna during lockdown and discussed her work in human rights and development, the inequalities the pandemic has highlighted and increased and how to take these into account moving forward. 

Marilyn had served as Director of CORE, She led the UK Refugee Council’s parliamentary advocacy and campaigning prior to joining CORE, and worked for Oxfam GB on the Make Poverty History and Control Arms campaigns firstly as a campaigner and then as policy advisor.

- Centre for Sports and Human Rights -  William’s experience includes leading initiatives to promote responsible business practices and human rights in emerging sectors and geographies. William established IHRB’s presence in the Middle East in 2015, liaising closely with governments, embassies, state entities and major companies across the region, facilitating corporate engagement with issues such as worker welfare and risks around human trafficking and forced labour.

Seema have 20 years of professional experience working globally in law, policy and human rights. Most recently, she was Programme Director of Global Thematic Issues at Amnesty international. For many years, as Head of Business and Human Rights, she has led the organisation's investigative and advocacy work on corporate accountability. She is specialised in areas ranging from: combating abuses in global supply chains, environmental justice and corporate crimes.IMG: yuumeiart.com

Exploring the motivations which lead to care about human rights and then what kind of compassionate paths these individuals took in their life.