ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the problems which globalization poses for the promotion and protection of rights, particularly the rights of workers and the rights of women workers. The phenomenon of globalization is accompanied by increasing international mobility: the migration of workers, the growth of tourism and the increasing ease of international travel. Communication across borders has become easier with access to Email, the Internet and other communication channels. Globalization permits countries to share experiences and to learn from one another’s achievements and difficulties, and promotes a cross-fertilization of ideals, cultural values and aspirations. Some of the benefits of globalization contribute to the enhancement of human rights. The competitive pressures of the new international economy have had negative effects on the rights of workers. Low labour costs and low labour standards are important elements in the choice of location of branches or subsidiaries of transnational corporations or choice of suppliers for industrial development in the North.
