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Human rights abuse has many forms and many perpetrators, including global corporations; Slave labor, the displacement of local populations, the creation of hazardous environments,theft of natural resources, etc., often with the cooperation of local governments. A specific example is the repeated violation of India's bio-safety and bio-diversity laws.Monsanto's presence in India has resulted in numerous suicides by farm owners. Please read; "Dirty white gold" by Belen Fernandez http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/12/201212575935285501.html The above illustrates the negative effect of the Monsanto corporation on farmers worldwide. Monsanto frequently influences governments to protect and execute their financial and business interests against the best interest and will of the citizens, occasionally by violent force, but more often through the legal system. In Colombia, farmers, joined by bus and truck drivers, miners, students, and others protested Law 970, which would give control over seeds to the government making it illegal for farmers to save seeds, any seeds, forcing them to buy patented ones. http://foodfreedomgroup.com/2013/09/17/colombian-farmers-defeat-monsanto-win-back-control-of-seeds-after-prolonged-strike/ Human rights groups such as Amnesty International have documented attacks on Colombian farmers and union leaders, who have been kidnapped, tortured, and massacred by paramilitary forces, and sometimes even by the army, according to a number of reports published by Amnesty International.http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR23/038/2013/en http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR23/035/2013/en/ab9d3e3a-ccac-401d-99d8-dc3855a7247b/amr230352013en.pdf When foreign citizens find themselves in a "David verses Goliath" scenario against a powerful monolithic American corporation such as Mosanto, we, as US citizens, are obligated to use whatever resources are available to us, as private citizens, or through NGO's such as Amnesty USA's initiative on "Business and Human Rights" to take what action we can; contacting our leaders, corporate CEOs and shareholders, and the public media to even the playing field; http://www.amnestyusa.org/get-involved/take-action-now When we fight for corporate accountability, we do this not just to protect communities and families in other countries, but ourselves, as well. Ultimately, we are sending the message "No matter your nationality, social class, or financial status, this will not be tolerated! Not there and not hear, either!" People before profits! Peace, Salaam, Shalom, Juli Kring juli3@aol.com Houston Texas Local 23 http://www.amnestyhouston.org/
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