OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (OneWorld) - A leading U.S. human rights group blasted Olympic corporate sponsors such as McDonald's, Panasonic, and Coca-Cola yesterday for disregarding human rights abuses in host country China.

View from the comfort of seats at the Olympic stadium. © sp1ffyd (flickr)

"The Olympic sponsors claim to be good corporate citizens," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch (HRW). "But as they enjoy the Games from the comfort of their seats at the Olympic stadium, they should reflect on their failure to speak up for the Chinese citizens who built the stadium and their hotels, clean their hotel rooms, serve their meals or, in the case of Chinese journalists, try to bring them their news."

The statement refers to the oppressive conditions imposed on workers brought in from poor areas of China to build the stadiums; families uprooted from Beijing to make room for the Olympic facilities; 'undesirables' forcibly removed from the city; and pressure on the Chinese media to remain mute about protests and abuse, as well as detentions and beatings of both protestors and journalists.

Despite their public pledges of "social responsibility," most of the corporations reached by HRW refused to accept any responsibility for speaking out on human rights.

One said: "Our sole purpose as a company is to make money for shareholders....To make money, we need to protect the brand....What our prime purpose is not is to advocate human rights."

Another noted: "Our commitment to human rights is [reflected in] how we treat employees. It is not our comfort zone to criticize countries."

Such comments are at odds with the bold proclamations found in most of the top sponsors' public statements on corporate social responsibility. Johnson & Johnson, for example, states on its Web site: "We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well."

"The Beijing Games have prompted a rollback in some of the most basic rights enshrined in China's constitution and international law
- Sophie Richardson, Human Rights WatchGeneral Electric (GE), a leading Olympic sponsor and owner of NBC, which paid millions to broadcast the games from China, claims: "GE seeks to advance human rights by leading by example -- through our interactions with customers and suppliers, the products we offer, and our relationships with communities and governments."

Another top sponsor proclaims: "At The Coca-Cola Company, we believe that an unwavering commitment to human rights is fundamental to the way we conduct our business."

Yet none of the 12 leading, mainly U.S.-based, sponsors -- who together shelled out some $866 million for the privilege -- spoke out during the Chinese repression of protest in Tibet last March, nor about the ongoing human rights violations in China related to the Olympics.

Corporate sponsors and the Olympic Committee have repeatedly insisted that holding the games in China would be a boon to human rights, since they assumed the government there would go lightly with the whole world watching.

"Instead, the Beijing Games have prompted a rollback in some of the most basic rights enshrined in China's constitution and international law," according to HRW's Richardson.

"Being a good corporate sponsor of the Beijing Games has sadly not meant being a good corporate citizen," she added. "The sponsors' silence has only emboldened the Chinese government and allowed the [International Olympic Committee] to ignore the human rights standards it claims to uphold."

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