Katie Redford
Ashoka Fellow since 2006   |   United States

Katie Redford

EarthRights International
Katie Redford is spearheading a movement to hold international companies accountable for overseas abuse in their home court jurisdictions in the Western world, and in doing so, is opening up new…
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This description of Katie Redford's work was prepared when Katie Redford was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2006.

Introduction

Katie Redford is spearheading a movement to hold international companies accountable for overseas abuse in their home court jurisdictions in the Western world, and in doing so, is opening up new possibilities in human rights law.

The New Idea

Katie introduced a simple and powerful idea into the human rights movement: that corporations can be brought to court for their role in overseas abuse. While American and European courts have customarily declined to hear cases where abuses have occurred outside their jurisdiction, Katie and herRead more

The Problem

While business is globalizing fast, the social and legal systems that manage how businesses relate to the rest of society are far behind, still built to fit within national boundaries. When large corporations, based in the industrial world, act against the interests of people in other countries,Read more

The Strategy

Katie and the organization she founded, EarthRights International, are building a body of case-law in the U.S. and other developed countries which allows citizens to sue a corporation in the corporation’s home country, even when the abuses occurred abroad. Through Earthrights’ recent victory usingRead more

The Person

Katie’s introduction to the corporate world came early. An ambitious businessman, Katie’s father became embroiled in the ugly world of corporate politics before dying suddenly when she was only 13 years old. This trauma led Katie to reflect on the power of corporations to do harm in the world.Read more

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