Joanne O'Neill, Co-Director of Advocacy and Influencing at ActionAid UK, said:
"Today's announcement is a win for the communities that have spent years campaigning to hold companies to account. But if the Government leaves environmental harm out of this legislation, it leaves women on the frontline of land grabs, deforestation and pollution without protection or redress.
"When business activities lead to land grabs, clearing forests or polluting rivers, women can lose the very things they rely on to feed their families and earn a living. They are also more likely to be in insecure, informal jobs in supply chains, where abuses risk going unchecked if the rules only apply to companies above the £350 million threshold.
"This announcement gives the Government a starting point, but it should be the floor, not the ceiling, and we will keep pressing the Government to bring environmental due diligence into scope, with women's rights and access to justice at its heart."
[ENDS]