By Julie Inglese
In the years leading up to the
2014 Winter Olympics, thousands of migrant workers from countries such as Armenia, Bosnia, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Ukraine arrived to Sochi, Russia to build an
Olympic-worthy city from the ground up. Though most of these workers came to Russia willingly, they
quickly faced inhumane treatment by their host country. Specifically, migrant
workers in Russia were denied the proper housing promised by their employers
and payment for their labor. This raises the
question: Has the International Olympic Committee (IOC) violated the UN
Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by allowing
the Olympic Games to proceed in spite of the human rights violations suffered
by migrant workers?
The UNGP’s are
guidelines adopted based on the Special Representative’s “Protect, Respect and Remedy Framework,” which was unanimously adopted by the
Human Rights Council. They are intended to provide practical advice to governments, companies,
and other stakeholders on how to better protect individuals and communities
from the adverse human rights impacts of business activities.
The Olympic
Committee’s decision to allow Russia to host the 2014 Olympic Games is
questionable from the standpoint of international human rights guidelines, but is
not itself a violation of international norms.
However, by virtue
of their business relationship, the Olympic Committee assumes responsibility
for any human rights violations Russia commits in connection with the Olympic Games.
The Committee has a business relationship with Russia as the host country for
the 2014 Olympic Games, and the Committee is a business enterprise within the
meaning of the UNGP. Under the UNGP, a business
enterprise like the Olympic Committee must “avoid infringing on the human
rights of others.”
