Business and Human Rights in The Nickel Industrial Estate:A ‎Socio-Legal Study of People's Rights in Weda Bay

  • Authors

    • Husen Alting Faculty of Law, Khairun University, Ternate, Indonesia
    • Siti Barora Sinay Faculty of Law, Khairun University, Ternate, Indonesia
    • Nam Rumkel Faculty of Law, Khairun University, Ternate, Indonesia
    https://doi.org/10.14419/htq3vz34

    Received date: November 8, 2025

    Accepted date: February 5, 2026

    Published date: February 17, 2026

  • Business and Human Rights; Nickel Industrial Estates; Mining Circles; Human Rights; Weda Bay

  • Abstract

    The development of the Weda Bay nickel industrial estate as a National Strategic Project, which, on the one hand, encourages economic ‎growth but, on the other, has a profound impact on the human rights of the people around the mine. This research aims to analyze the implementation of Business and Human Rights principles in PT's operations. IWIP with a focus on fulfilling the community's rights in Lelilef ‎Sawai, Lelilef Woebulan, and Gemaf Villages. The research method uses a socio-legal approach, with data collected through interviews, ‎field observations, and document analysis. The results of the study show that although companies have formally opened participation spaces, ‎there are substantive restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, characterized by the criminalization of citizens, meaningless participation, and a weak legal complaint mechanism. These findings show a gap between the normative framework of Business and Human ‎Rights and practices in the field, as well as reflecting on corporations' failure to carry out human rights due diligence‎.

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  • How to Cite

    Alting, H. ., Sinay, S. B., & Rumkel, N. . (2026). Business and Human Rights in The Nickel Industrial Estate:A ‎Socio-Legal Study of People’s Rights in Weda Bay. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 13(2), 213-219. https://doi.org/10.14419/htq3vz34