The Right Respect

July 27th, 2010

Conflict Minerals and Financial Reform – Protecting Human Rights through Disclosure Standards

On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This complex reform seeks to promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system through empowering the government with the power to break up companies, oversee financial markets and [...]

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July 22nd, 2010

Human Trafficking and Military Contractors: Lacking Accountability for Human Rights Violations

The Washington Post has recently reported on repeated violations of a policy instituted by President George Bush, that forbidded government contractors and employees from engaging in sex trafficking. The policy, which calls for prosecution and suspension or disqualification of companies whose workers engage in these acts, has been met with a complete lack of enforcement [...]

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July 20th, 2010

Fair Labor Finds a Home in the Dominican Republic, but is Haiti Still Left Behind?

In writing about college apparel company Knights Apparel’s sweatshop-free approach to manufacturing, the New York Times reports that the company’s model factory in the Dominican Republic pays workers a living wage, respects overtime hours and allows workers to organize freely. Based on a study done by a workers’ rights group that calculated the living costs [...]

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