All companies and businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights.

Corporates, especially ones operating internationally, have gained unprecedented power and influence, but that hasn’t always helped the communities in which they operate. They can cause harm by directly abusing human rights, or by colluding with others – including governments – who violate human rights.

The business community has a moral and legal responsibility to protect human rights. And they must also be accountable for the social, environmental and economic impact of what they do.

There are few effective means, nationally or internationally, to prevent corporate human rights abuses or to hold companies to account. People harmed by a company’s operations – people who are often already marginalised and vulnerable – are left powerless, without protection or access to justice.

Governments have an obligation to protect their citizens from harmful actions, including those of companies, but they often fail to do so.

Some companies have voluntary codes relating to human rights and corporate social responsibility, but we are calling for mandatory global standards, as well as legal ways to hold companies to account.

If you are interested in learning more have a look at our question and answer section, or check out what some of the sponsors of Beijing Games and the Australian Olympic Committee have said on the record about corporate social responsibility.

You can also visit the Australia’s Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission’s website. Or read our articles about Internet service providers operating in China.

[Image (left to right): Mark Chandler, Cisco's general counsel, Elliot Schrage, a vice president for corporate communications at Google, Jack Krumholtz, managing director of federal government affairs and associate general counsel for Microsoft, and Michael Callahan, Yahoo's general counsel before a joint hearing on the Internet in China. © AP]