Call for Papers
on
Corporations, Human
Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa:
Between Neglect and
Inadequate Policy Direction
The
International Bill of Human Rights; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the International
Convention on Economic and Social Rights
in addition to many other international, regional and national human
rights instruments provides for civil, economic, social and group rights. The various
instruments assert the right to life, right to dignity and fair treatment, as
well as freedom of association, and freedom from slavery and forced labour,
among others. The flagrant violations of these rights have gone on in Africa (and elsewhere) to date. Apart from national governments, there has
been recognition that corporations are implicated in substantive violations of
these rights.
Following
on the expanding reach of corporations, the global debate on Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) has intensified in recent times. There is a current focus
on how the colossal financial capabilities and resources of corporations affect
human rights particularly in the developing countries. The international system
has witnessed a sustained engagement with corporations which is fast developing
into a movement on business and human rights.
A significant aspect of this was the appointment of a UN Special
Representative for Human Rights and Business, and the development of a
framework that clarifies the roles of governments as well as companies in
respect of business and human rights. The framework focuses on how to protect
and realise human rights in the face of corporate activities that may
negatively impact on rights. Increasingly too, Non-Governmental Organisations are
assuming an important role in giving visibility to the multifaceted dimensions
of the impact of corporate activities around the globe and in the ‘third world’
especially. In short, there is a slow but definitive move away from the
dominant culture of ‘business as usual’ towards a rights-sensitive culture of
sustainable corporations.
However,
in the midst of these important developments, it appears that the African
continent is forgotten and largely marginalised. African concerns and viewpoints
are still under-represented and less understood. Yet, Africa
remains one of the main victims of the consequences of (gross) violations of
human rights part of which are associated with the awesome powers of the modern
corporation. The role of multinational corporations prospecting in Africa and their (c) overt violations of human rights remain
contentious. Although academics have started to address these issues, current
attention is inadequate and much more is needed to be known about these issues.
The contributions by academics regarding these issues in the African context do
not match the scale of the issues that need to be addressed. Several underlying
issues have not been addressed and there is an urgent need for a critical mass
of research efforts to be geared toward human rights and CSR in this important
context. Consequently, the special issue of this journal is focusing on human
rights and CSR in Africa. There is a need to address business and human
rights in Africa in view of the significant
impact on national economies, lives, ecosystems and the environment on the
continent with global implications.
This
call is for papers that adopt variety of approaches (empirical, qualitative,
quantitative, socio-legal, etc) in addressing this theme. Such papers could
highlight practitioners’ perspectives embedded in practical realities of the
issues and therefore may not adopt, in full, the conventional academic style.
They would however be assessed on their ability to provide crucial insights on
the issue that could lead to rigorous analysis and understanding of some of the
key concerns on the theme. The call is also for robust but practical oriented
academic research adopting either qualitative or quantitative research
approaches. The list of topics/ theme below
is suggestive of likely topics/themes but is not in any way exhaustive:
·
CSR
in Africa: Definitions and Concepts
·
The
Role of Multinational Corporation in Enhancing Human Rights in Africa.
·
Extractive
Industries, Corruption and Human rights
·
Child
Labour, CSR and Government Regulations
·
CSR,
Labour Law Reforms and Human Rights in Africa.
·
CSR,
Information Rights and Governance
·
Current
CSR Practices Amongst Listed Companies in Africa
·
Cultural
Dimensions on CSR and Human Rights in Africa.
·
Political
Dimensions of CSR
·
The
NGOs and CSR in Deprived Societies
·
Multinationals
and CSR
·
Stakeholders’
Engagement and CSR and Human Rights
Submission
Manuscripts
should be submitted via the IJLMA online submission system at
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijlma - just log in or create an account, and
then select the special issue rather than the regular issue when you submit.
Submissions must be received by 30 April 2013.
Please
feel free to contact either of the Co-Editors of the special issue with any
queries.
Dr
Hakeem Yusuf
Dr
Ismail Adelopo
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