Global economy cannot thrive without a stable global legal justice system. This is evident in the proliferation of human rights violation claims to the Canadian mining companies overseas, where victims of social and economic injustices are often denied the justice they deserve. Female sexual harassment at the workplace is another issue where justice needs to be sought. There is a great need for women to understand their rights in modern societies as it is how they can avoid such discrimination. This paper highlights the human rights violations conducted by the Canadian Mining Industry through constant female sexual violations, and why and how they need to be dealt with.
The Overseas Canadian Mining Companies Human Rights Violations
Canada is one of the most advanced countries in terms of trade and investment mining. Minerals such as copper, gold, coal and iron ore are available in the Canadian mining industry. The Canadian federal government needs to address the lack of provision under international law that allows local courts to address crimes committed in other jurisdictions. More often than not, the people who work overseas with Canadian mining companies do not get the justice they deserve. The victims report or demonstrate against cases of sexual assault, forceful evictions from their lands without reparations, poor working conditions with poor payments and environmental degradation. This, however, ends in delayed or denied justice or the killing of social justice activists by the companies’ security personnel.
In Guatemala, for instance, Skye Resources, a Canadian mining company, forcefully evicted people from their indigenous land. In the messy process of eviction, pregnant women were raped, and men from local anti-mining campaigns were shot dead (Mijares and Susan 9, 10 " 11). Guatemalan courts mostly ruled against the local victims due to the massive corruption that marred the cases. This shows how dysfunctional legal systems in some countries are, and this impact negatively to the Canadian global mining industry. Another example is that of the Omai gold located in Guyana where a tailing waste pond failed to function properly. This led to the contamination of a river with hazardous waste. In another instance, the gas leak which resulted to massive deaths in India is just but another disheartening example of a case where justice was still elusive (Neve).
Why the Canadian Mining Companies’ Human Rights Violations
The Canadian mining industry is a viable choice since it is one of the major global mining industries and thus, has the potential to champion against global human rights violations. However, despite having a greater share of the global economy, some of its companies such as Hudbay and Gold Corp have had a bad track record in regards to human rights violations claims. Devastating claims, in particular, conducted by the companies’ security personnel needs just solutions. Companies should be responsible and accountable for the harm they cause to people through their mining processes. The Canadian federal government is at a greater position to ensure that humanity is upheld.
The global legal system is failing and the Canadian government needs to take action because victims of human rights abuse are often the marginalized and poor casual laborers with limited access to justice. The government is capable of giving reparations and providing social justice to the people. A body like Amnesty International deals with encouraging governments and businesses to foster human rights protection. Through a combined and collaborative effort with the Canadian government, such goals can effectively be achieved.
A Video to Demonstrate Female Sexual Harassment as a Corporate Wrongdoing
The video on sexual harassment of women by their male counterparts in the workplace would best demonstrate the extent of the deeply rooted problem. After WWII, women started taking on corporate jobs but often found themselves in a position where they had to choose between being sexually violated and losing their jobs (Retro Report). Often, the norm of men in power looking down upon female colleagues and topping it up with sexual advances went unnoticed or unheard of as women would quit their jobs and deal with their issues privately. This video would best enlighten the future generations on when and where sexual harassment against corporate women started and the progress that has been made so far.
Political and economic corporate sectors are saturated with sexual predators and the worst thing is that they think they can get away with it by offering money or a promotion. This video shows that during the 1990’s, women came out to seek legal redress on the issue but testimonies before an all-male would often be recanted. A case of Anita Hill is a perfect example (Retro Report). In modern times, people are increasingly being held responsible for their actions. Men lose their jobs and pay hefty fines when found guilty. Although much progress has been made, sexual harassment to women is still prevalent in the corporate world. This is so because most legal proceedings are usually private, and after settlement, the victims sign non-disclosure agreements that bar them from talking about the issue again.
Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 2010 (Aman et al. 280), sexual harassment is illegal. It states that harassment does not have to be repetitive; a single incident is enough to file a report. People in power often intimidate the victims into cowering and shying away from publicizing their behavior. The video portrays the issue as cultural and that it needs sensitization of women to knowing their rights and standing firm to defend them. The nature of patriarchy in societies has increased the prevalence of female discrimination even in the society.
Reason for its Viability
The video on sexual harassment best denotes corporate wrongdoing, the victims and the progress that has been made to counter the menace. It shows that, despite more women seeking justice on the issue than in the 20th Century, a lot of work is still to be done. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination against an individual’s right to a working environment that is conducive. Gender superiority of males is an ideology of the past and gender equality is ideal for achieving the goal of sustainable development. Not a single gender can live independently and thus, mutual respect is important. Moreover, it shows that nobody is above the law and sexual harassment will never be taken lightly, be it in the corporate world or the society at large (Aman et. Al. 233).
Conclusion
From the information above, it is evident that the overseas Canadian mining companies’ human rights violation claims are non-fictional and thus, justice should be served where due. Rape, environmental degradation, extra-judicial killings and poor working or living conditions are some of the rights violations to both the workers and locals. Moreover, a video on female harassment in the workplace is clear on the economic and social impacts of the issue. Women need to take a proactive approach in seeking legal redress and understand their rights in the workplace. There is need for governments to tame these misconducts and unethical behaviors exhibited in the corporate sector. Advocating for equality in justice execution and gender roles is a humanistic way of dealing with the vices in the corporate sector.
Work Cited
Aman, Tauseef, et al. "Perception of Sexual Harassment at Workplace, Knowledge of Working Women Towards Workplace harassment act 2010." KJMS 9.2 (2016): 230
Mijares Pena, Susan C. "Human Rights Violations by Canadian Companies Abroad: Choc V Hudbay Minerals Inc". Ir.Lib.Uwo.Ca, 2014, https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1105"context=uwojls. Accessed 17 Apr 2018.
Neve, Alex. "Opinion | Time To Counter Human Rights Abuses by Canada’s Mining Companies". Thestar.Com, 2014, https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/05/08/time_to_counter_human_rights_abuses_by_canadas_mining_companies.html. Accessed 17 Apr 2018.
Retro Report. "'Why Hasn't Sexual Harassment Disappeared?' | Retro Report". Youtube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnk_mDUu9o4. Accessed 17 Apr 2018. .
