What is a human rights abuse?

A human rights abuse is anything that harms someone’s human rights. They include harm to people, communities, and the environment.

What kinds of harms do human rights abuses cause?

These are 6 examples of harm that come from human rights abuse.

Physical harm

Unsafe conditions at work lead to injuries.

Harm to relationships

Discrimination divides people and leads to conflict. Some people and groups of people withdraw from their community or become isolated.

Economic harm

Unpaid or underpaid workers end up with too little food and unfit housing.

Environmental harm

People get sick when their water is polluted.

Harm to mental health

Survivors of human rights abuse have anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Harm to a person’s identity

People suffer when they are not allowed to speak their own language or follow their own culture or religion.

A human rights abuse happens when someone’s human rights are harmed. It is not necessary to show that someone did something on purpose or intended the harm. What matters is the harmful effect.

At the CORE, we want to make sure that Canadian companies respect human rights when they do business in other countries. When a Canadian company does NOT respect human rights, we step in to try to fix any harm it caused.

More information

• What are human rights?
• Who has human rights?