The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) was established in 1992 will the objective of responding to the serious human rights abuses committed by the government of Kenya against its people. The organization has focused on monitoring, documenting and publicizing violations of civil and political rights, as well as strengthening parliament, the judiciary and other institutions of government. The KHRC has also played a major role in strengthening civil society actors and advocating for democratic reforms through efforts to lead a constitution-making process. More recently, the organization has expanded its efforts to focus on economic, social and cultural rights, with particular emphasis on abusive labor practices and the land rights movement.
Through its work, the KHRC seeks to ensure the sustainability of the human rights movement and social justice efforts more broadly. The organization works to ensure that governments, multinational companies, and other non-state actors are accountable and committed to respecting and protecting the rights of vulnerable communities. More broadly, the KHRC approaches its work through a gendered lens, and is committed to promoting gender mainstreaming within governmental and intergovernmental institutions. Consistent with its commitment to advancing the rights of women, the KHRC in conjunction with the ILRF organized a panel on sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly in export processing zones (EPZs) at the World Social Forum, 2007.
The KHRC is also working in the following areas in 2008:
Labor Rights/Laws Advocacy
Components include legal aid/advice to workers in our twice-per week legal aid clinics at our premises; advocacy and monitoring implementation of Kenya’s new labor laws; training of workers (demand) and officials (supply side); and public interest litigation to enforce these laws (the Kenyan bar association and employers have gone to the High Court of Kenya to stop the implementation of these laws. The KHRC is challenging these suits).
Monitoring, Research and Publication on Workers’ Rights
Components of this are related to all the themes above, but additionally include follow-up research on the Tea Industry, Social Costs of Investments (in the Flower Farms) and publication of the new labor laws in popular versions.
Human Rights Impact Assessment of Foreign Investment Enterprises in Kenya
Components of these include assessing the state of workers’ rights in these enterprises, corporate citizenship, and compliance of enterprises with international standards and ethical imperatives.