Attacks against individuals speaking out about corporate misconduct now stand at their highest levels for five years, according to new research.

The Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC) says analysis shows there were 790 attacks recorded last year against people speaking out about the behaviour of businesses across 80 countries and in sectors such as technology, mining, energy and agriculture.

Christen Dobson, co-head of the Civic Freedoms and Human Rights Defenders Programme, says the physical attacks form “global pattern of retaliation”.

“Those speaking out against corporate risks and harms are often portrayed as obstacles to progress when, in reality, they are its architects.

“They are leaders in protecting our natural environments, democracies and the health of our planet.”

Of those speaking out around the world, 53 were killed, though BHRC says the most common attack is “judicial harassment”—accounting for 52%—which includes arrest, detention, criminalisation and strategic lawsuits.

China 47, US 43, UK 41

The attacks involved 160 companies headquartered in 37 countries. BHRC says the greatest number of attacks (47) related to companies with headquarters in China; 43 in the US; 41 in both the UK and France; and 40 in both Uganda and Tanzania.

Overall, the most dangerous region was Latin America and the Caribbean, with 329 attacks, followed by the Pacific, with 234.

Energy transition industries were connected to 42 attacks involving mining companies producing key minerals.

Mining in general involved 181 attacks. BHRC says only five mining companies have a “policy commitment” to zero tolerance of attacks.

In total, the BHRC has recorded 6,336 attacks in its portal. One fifth of all attacks are against Indigenous people, despite their making up only 6% of the world’s population.

Attacks against land and environmental defenders account for 89% of all reported incidents.

The causes are not hard to pinpoint, according to Hannah Matthews, a researcher and database co-ordinator with BHRC. “Fast tracking business projects without meaningfully consulting with people is a key driver of increasing conflict, losing public trust and derailing the just energy transition.”

‘Securitised governance’

BHRC believes the underlying trigger may be the increase of “securitised governance”—corporate information protected under a rubric of national security. This, the organisation says, enables governments to label those speaking out as “extremists”. That means counterterrorism actions and force can then be justified to control campaigners.

BHRC also says “corporate influence” over politics has reshaped regulation and “weakened human rights protections”.

“Business and civil society both benefit from respect for civic freedoms, accountable governance and rule of law.”

The BHRC takes aim at the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, for weakening the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) which, it says, would have held companies accountable.

“However,” the report says, “once the president of the European Commission announced the development of an omnibus proposal overhauling several EU sustainability laws (including the CSDDD), lobbying by a few irresponsible business actors continued at a new level.”