Activists are once again looking to Unilever, a major investor in Myanmar, to take a stand against the country’s persecution of the Rohingya minority.

Last week, a global civil society group known as Sisters of Rohingya issued a call for a boycott of Unilever’s Dove products-- “Unilever tells us women that as a corporation they have respect for our lives and are committed to our equality,” the statement on their website reads.

This message is at odds with the consumer goods company’s investment in Myanmar, the statement continues, “where the military are committing systematic rape with total impunity as part of their genocide against the Rohingya people.”

Jamila Hanan launched #WeAreAllRohingyaNow in January 2017, calling on Unilever, Nestlé and several other big investors to come together to speak out and put an end to Rohingya persecution that had already worsened.

To Hanan, it seems that most investors in the area have conveniently ignored the plight of the Rohingya, although Unilever “has behind the scenes probably done more than any other multinational corporation,” she said.

Unilever CEO Paul Polman signed an open letter to the United Nations citing concerns about Myanmar’s military offensives in Rakhine State. Later, the corporation tweeted that it stands with the Rohingya.   The corporation has gone on to take concrete action by  "working to make a positive and sustainable impact on the people of Myanmar through local talent development and by providing communities access to better health, hygiene, and nutrition,” said Shweta Shukla, Director of Communications and External Affairs for Unilever.

These efforts are appreciated by #WeAreAllRohingyaNow, although real change won’t be achieved until large multinationals unite and think bigger, Hanan said. “We feel that it’s long overdue that multinational corporations consider in more depth the impact of their investments."

Read the full article about private sector under pressure to stand with the Rohingya by Kelli Rogers at Devex.