A new briefing released today by RAID calls on the UK and other governments to rectify serious problems in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs) and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR)...While there are numerous examples of failures to adhere to these standards, little has been said about how companies, by carefully following the steps advocated in the Guidelines and Principles, can exonerate themselves when human rights violations occur. RAID’s briefing...demonstrates how the GPs and the VPSHR allow companies to privatise and control the implementation of human rights. This is particularly important when alleged human rights abuses come to light: a company deflects criticism – and, potentially, even legal liability – if it can demonstrate that it has undertaken human rights due diligence, assessed the risk of human rights impacts, sought to use its influence upon recalcitrant states, and offered redress under its own grievance mechanism, as specified in the relevant principles.