Fighting Human Rights

I think that human rights and company politics really don’t mix.  The idea of getting economists and human rights advocates together to generate a plane to as to make a human rights issue economically viable is one thing, to get companies which have existed on the exploitation of untold masses to combat for human rights would certainly be welcome in advocate circles but it is unlikely. To get companies in general to address the issues of human rights is also suspect. It tends to remind me of young film companies wanting to address the Dar-four crisis when there is only the desire to capture the attention of a sympathizing public. Irregardless of that companies should take a stand no matter what people think because it helps bring the issue into a spotlight.

There are efficient ways that companies can get involved just as there are direct and indirect approaches. A company will probably want to see that there is some economic gain especially if it a not a  non-profit organization. So a film company which is geared to make box office sales falls in that category and would rely on the presence of key speakers to bring attention to poverty issues outside nationally or abroad.Those guest speakers are often self-proclaimed advocates of humanitarian needs and are for the most part celebrities chosen for their international appeal. 

Africa could quickly turn around and say that it does not want to depend on movie stars for its sortie from decades of economic squalor. So a smart film company or any other company wanting to use a famous name to represent a cause should think of what backlashes there might be especially over issues that might be considered private and painful. That said those companies have to get into direct contact with human rights groups working in those afflicted regions so that they can determine how sensitive those issues are and whether or not those countries want to continually be advertised as needy.

If a company is going to be honest about its endeavor to build an infrastructure in an area where the inhabitants are inclined to manage themselves, it should then instruct those people to look after those installations so that the population will become less dependent and more self-sufficient. Frankly that has not been happening and impoverished nations still depend on the expertise of visiting engineering firms and the like. So for companies to positively effect change, they would eventually have to pack up and go home which they would do voluntarily in an idealist world. They would have to complete their tasks, train the locals sufficiently and keep out of meddling in the internal politics of those countries.