Japan is one of the first non-Western countries to adopt a legal framework on business and human rights, which will likely influence other countries in the APAC region, as well as the overall Western focus of BHR developments.
The new German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act imposes new obligations on larger companies, which must, among other things, check their entire supply chain for violations of human rights and environmental concerns.
In Osmani v. Universal Structural Restorations Ltd., 2022 ONSC 6979, an Ontario court was the first to consider a claim for damages for the statutory tort of human trafficking under the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act (PRHTA).
The Modern Slavery Act would require certain government institutions and private-sector entities to report annually on measures they have taken to prevent and reduce the risk that they or their supply chains are using forced or child labour.
National and supranational legislatures continue to develop laws requiring employers to conduct due diligence of their operations and those of their business partners in order to address human rights risks such as forced labor and child labor.
In January 2022, the New York State Senate introduced a bill that seeks to impose significant human rights and environmental due diligence and disclosure obligations on fashion retail sellers and manufacturers operating in the state of New York.
On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bars the importation into the United States of products made from forced labor in the Xinjiang region of China.
