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Alleged human rights impacts by a Brazilian multinational in Bahrain
Lead NCPBrazil
Supporting NCP(s)
DescriptionSpecific instance submitted by the NGO Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain alleging non-observance of the Guidelines by a Brazilian multinational enterprise which provided tear gas to Bahrain and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Theme(s)Human rights
Date22 Sep 2015
Host country(ies)Bahrain
SourceNGO
Industry sectorManufacturing
StatusNot accepted
Summary

Read the initial assessment issued by the Brazilian NCP closing the specific instance - 30 November 2016


On 22 September 2015, the NGO Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain made a submission against a multinational company headquartered in Brazil that produces and trades non-lethal technologies.

More specifically, the NGO alleged that the company did not observe the Guidelines by providing tear gas to Bahrain and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The submission stated that the company's product was used in violation of human rights and that the company did not make it clear whether or not it had engaged in adequate human rights due diligence processes.

In a preliminary analysis, the NCP concluded that the specific instance did not meet the acceptance criteria in the initial assessment phase. The multinational provides non-lethal products to various countries and United Nations peacekeeping forces. There is no evidence that the use of its products has caused human rights abuses per se. The company complies with Brazilian laws, although it does not have a specific human rights policy.

The Brazilian NCP found that the issue did not merit further examination, in accordance with paragraph 25 of the Implementation Guidelines, since the claimant substantiated the demand using a news item from a journalist's blog and therefore the claim was not material and substantiated.

For the reasons set out above, the Brazilian NCP did not accept the specific instance.