Book Launch: Achieving Access to Justice in a Business and Human Rights Context

The Oxford Business and Human Rights Network, in partnership with the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, are pleased to invite you to the launch of the book 'Achieving Access to Justice in a Business and Human Rights Context' by Dr Viginie Rouas. The book explores the interplay between access to justice and business and human rights, a growing area of international human rights law, in European civil-law countries.

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) can contribute to economic prosperity and social development in the countries where they operate. At the same time, their activities may directly or indirectly cause harm to humans and to the environment. However, MNEs are rarely held accountable for their involvement in human rights abuses and environmental damage. In recent years, activists have challenged corporate impunity by introducing innovative claims seeking to hold parent companies directly liable for the harm caused by their group’s activities. They have also strategically used this type of litigation to trigger corporate accountability reforms at international, regional, and national levels. Using national litigation experiences as a starting point and focusing on European civil-law countries, the book evaluates the extent to which civil and criminal litigation against MNEs has been effective in achieving access to justice and corporate accountability. It also considers whether ongoing regulatory developments, such as the adoption of mandatory human rights due diligence norms and the negotiations for a business and human rights treaty, can contribute to the realisation of access to justice and corporate accountability in the future.

More information is available here.

Dr Virginie Rouas

Dr Virginie Rouas is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, and a Legal Advisor for Milieu, a Brussels-based consultancy specialising in EU law and policy. Dr Rouas holds a PhD in Law from SOAS and an LLM in Environmental Law from the University of Strasbourg (France). Her principal areas of expertise include access to justice, business and human rights, global environmental law, and EU law and policy. 

At Milieu, she manages and carries out research and legal compliance projects on environmental, fundamental rights, justice, and financial markets issues. As a Research Associate at SOAS, she conducts research and teaches the International Environmental Law course (for the winter term 2022).
Dr Rouas has previously worked for the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Global Witness, the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and Frank Bold, among others. Dr Rouas is a member of the Business and Human Rights Practitioners’ Network, the Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association, and the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. She is also an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Law, Environment and Development (LEAD).

Dr Rachel Chambers (Discussant)

Dr Rachel Chambers is an Assistant Professor of Business Law at the University of Connecticut School of Business. Dr Chambers’ research centers on corporate accountability mechanisms. Her doctorate in law from the University of Essex (U.K.) considers the challenges using of extraterritorial solutions to address corporate human rights violations. Her current research includes comparative research on transnational tort litigation and analysis of the accountability potential of laws mandating human rights disclosure and due diligence by corporations. Rachel’s background is in the practice of law as a Barrister (England and Wales). She has worked as a consultant to major players in the business and human rights sphere, including the UN Global Compact and Amnesty International. She is the Co-Director of the Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum. 

Mr Krishnendu Mukherjee (Discussant) 

Krishnendu Mukherjee, of Doughty Street Chambers, is a barrister and Indian advocate, working with the most vulnerable and marginalised, especially from the global south, through his trans-national practice of immigration, environment and business and human rights. He represents the rights-holders in high-profile litigation concerning human rights violations and corporate accountability before Indian courts. He also spearheads projects designed to provide ethical initiatives, human rights due diligence and remedy solutions for companies with transgressive supply chains.