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Corpobligation: The Onion presents some insights into more efficient transportation and torture techniques.
The Onion asks the important questions like, "Why waste electricity on testicle torture?"
Energy savings can be achieved through wind power, balsam wood transports...
The militaries of both the US and Canada are facing increasing environmental oversight, which is especially important given the environmental destructiveness of weapons like uranium depleted shells, mini-nukes, active sonar...etc..
240,000 South African miners are participating in a 24 hour strike to protest safety conditions
According to the BBC, "More than 180 workers have been killed this year in the
country's mines, with another two dying in recent days, slightly fewer
than 200 deaths in 2006."
In October, South African mines were closed for 6 weeks after 3200 workers were trapped underground, by the order of Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica.
BBC quoted, "Harmony Gold's Patrice Motsepe at the time: "Our safety records both as a company and a country leave much to be desired.""
Un-Corpobligation quote:
"The strike is just a prelude of things to come, things are coming to a head," Nick Goodwin, a resources analyst, told Reuters.
"Any changes to mine design as a result of this audit would affect the costs, and hurt the company's bottom line," he added.
Corpobligation: What if information is not enough to motivate action and activism?
Of course to be fair, it is impossible for every individual to stop every crisis or human rights abuse.
However, what is the obligation of individual citizens and a university when police are beating, holding down and then actually tasering a student?
Youtube's most viewed videos of the last few
days were full of student recordings of a University of Florida student
being tasered, during a John Kerry speech, for apparently asking too
many questions.
Stephen Colbert has coined the word to describe the lack of solidarity illustrated in the lecture hall: "Solitarity". Solitarity, roughly defined, means the opposite of solidarity. While the student was tasered fellow students did nothing.
What were the obligations of those around him? What are the obligations of citizens when other human rights abuses are happening around us? Is blogging enough?
Corpobligation action: TNCs should pressure suppliers, but should not abandon them
China Labour Watch released a detailed report about the
labour abuses of 8 Chinese toy companies.
Should there be a recall of the products? Or compensation to
workers?
Ironically, Mattel recalled millions of products because of
the potential of lead paint to harm children in the United States;
yet, in cases where workers have certainly been harmed, the odds of
a human rights related recall are low. But what about a human rights
return action by consumers?
The report provides excellent recommendations including: do not
abandon supplier factories, but rather commit to them and be
resolute in making sure that violations are corrected.Not
only take responsibility for their suppliers’ legal infractions,
but go a step further and strive to actively improve its workers’
lives.
Spelling note: labor (USA) labour (Rest of english world).
How does this relate to corporate obligation? Labour
conditions are possibly the area where corporations can take the
largest role, especially, when they are prompted by NGOs like China
Labor Watch.
Question: When will human rights abuse of workers be as
important as potential harm to children?
News and Analysis 
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