More evidence that U.S. courts are continuing to shift towards greater accountability for corporations (and associated individuals) for social harm in their supply chains. Although it is too early to declare the ATS raised from the dead, a slew of other statutes on the books and in the legislative pipeline impose growing obligations on companies to both report and prevent forced labor, trafficking and other human rights abuses in supply chains. Bottom line: companies with…
Although the SEC currently does not require public companies to disclose any environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) information, including human rights issues and labor practices, historically, Congress mandated additional disclosures due to public policy considerations. On July 11, 2019, a discussion draft of the Corporate Human Rights Risk Assessment, Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2019 (“CHRRA Act”) was introduced at a hearing of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets. The…
Introducing the Liechtenstein Initiative’s “Blueprint for Mobilizing Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking” Two centuries ago, Financial Services Actors (FSAs) have played a crucial role in both enabling and ending slavery. Transatlantic slave trade could not have existed without the support of the financial sector, as it was very capital- and credit-intensive. FSAs had developed many instruments such as securitized slave-backed mortgages, from which they made a lot of money. However, the sector’s role changed drastically…