This research focuses on improving how victims of corporate human rights abuses are compensated and supported. International human rights law states that victims have a right to receive fair and timely reparations. However, people harmed by corporations often face significant challenges in obtaining remedies that meet these standards. These difficulties are even greater for marginalized groups, such as women, people with disabilities, and those from underprivileged backgrounds.

The project highlights the urgent need to consider gender in corporate reparations. Gender-neutral approaches often fail to address structural inequalities and can even cause further harm. By adopting a gender-sensitive perspective, this study seeks to close the “gender gap” in corporate reparations by examining why and how reparations fail to account for gender differences.
Grounded in fields like human rights, gender studies, sociology, and law, the project investigates how factors such as a company’s economic power, the ability of victims to organize, and the sensitivity of legal systems to gender issues affect reparations.

The research explores two key questions: (1) What would gender-sensitive corporate reparations look like? (2) What factors influence when, where, and how corporate reparations happen, and whether they include gender considerations? To answer these, the project uses a mix of methods, starting with an in-depth case studies analysis to identify how gender shapes harm and reparations. It then expands on this analysis using a comprehensive database of corporate human rights cases.

This study offers valuable insights for both academics and policymakers, aiming to advance public discussions on corporate accountability. It bridges a significant gap in existing research by providing data-driven explanations of corporate reparations, focusing on their occurrence, content, and impact while prioritizing the voices of victims.
This project is sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation and is co-led with the School of Law at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá (Colombia).