Note: This is the second post of a three-part series about building strategic collaborations between existing social justice organizations the Occupy Wall Street movement in Nevada and nationally. See the first post here.
As people all over the country are opposing economic inequality, greed, and threats to human rights, one multinational mining corporation operating in the American West has pursued a shameful legacy with little public notice.
Canadian-based Barrick Mining is the largest gold mining corporation in the world, producing 7.8 million ounces of pure gold in 2010 from 26 mines across five continents. It's well past time to start accounting for the not-so-pleasant costs of extracting that gold primarily in countries with lax regulations and enforcement, and on environmentally sensitive lands of Indigenous people.
Many Nevadans are aware of the painful and bitter past and present history related to mining and the Western Shoshone people. Elder Carrie Dann and her family live next to Barrick's Cortez Hills mine, one of the largest gold discoveries in North America. Barrick is currently mining beneath the white cliffs of Mt. Tenabo, a sacred place in the creation beliefs of the Western Shoshone.
I first met Carrie and her sister Mary, who passed away in 2005, at Cortez in 1988, and the thought of that landâs destruction has haunted me ever since. Only recently have I discovered the extent to which Barrick is systematically undermining the rights of Indigenous people throughout the planet as well.
Just this year, internationally respected human rights and news organizations have issued reports and exposés on Barrick's abuse of Indigenous people in Africa, New Guinea, Australia and South America.
Because of this firestorm of attention, Barrick's claimed reputation as a socially responsible corporation has been widely debunked. The Globe and Mail of Canada reported last month:
Two years ago, Barrick was ranked as one of Canada's 50 top corporate citizens in the annual report of Corporate Knights, which studies the social responsibility records of Canadian companies. Since then, however, Barrick has fallen off the list.
The same article highlights tragic events in Tanzania, where 19 have died since 2008. Barrick's spokesperson says people were shot for illegal trespassing. Another observer said it's "close to war."
Barrick's Porgera Joint Venture mine in New Guinea has been the target of international investigations, revealing severe environmental impacts and human rights abuses, including gang rapes by Barrick employees.
In each case, women were allegedly raped after being captured by company security personnel on the waste dumps. The women interviewed by Human Rights Watch described scenes of extreme violence. One described being gang raped by six security personnel after one of her assailants kicked her in the face and shattered her teeth.
Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued key reports (here and here) detailing these abuses. See also this video version from Human Rights Watch, which describe:
a pattern of violent abuses, including horrifying acts of gang rape, carried out by members of the mine’s private security force in 2009 and 2010. They also recount Barrick’s history of angrily dismissing human rights and environmental concerns that the company should have treated more seriously and dealt with more transparently.
In response, Barrick founder and CEO Peter Munk stated it would be impossible to police the behavior of 5,500 employees. He also added that in Papau New Guinea, "gang rape" is a "cultural habit." Note: Munk insists that quote was taken out of context.
Last month, Al Jazeera debuted this documentary highlighting the work of three South American women who have been organizing to prevent Barrick from contaminating land and water throughout the Andes.
And recently, Barrick was brought before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to determine if their mine violates fundamental human rights of the Indigenous Diaguita Huascoaltinos community:
The Pascua Lama project, as occupying part of our ancestral territory, takes away from us the possibility of protecting our natural and cultural heritage. This heritage is part of an integrated system that allows replication and maintenance of our culture over time.
Miguel Bonasso, Argentine journalist and congressman, just published a book alleging destruction and worker exploitation at Barrick's binational (Chile-Argentina) mining project, Pascua Lama. President Cristina Fernandez vetoed Bonasso's glacier protection bill (known as the "Barrick Veto") saying it would harm economic development in the region.
In Australia earlier this year, Wiradjuri Traditional Owners and environmentalists revved up their campaign and asked Barrick:
Why is there a large open-pit cyanide leaching gold mine sitting in the lake bed?
In the Dominican Republic last year, at least 17 people were injured in protests against Barrick by laid off workers upset about not being adequately compensated for their work.
These reports in 2011 demonstrate that around the world, Barrick is the cause of significant violence against land, water and people. Most directly impacted are the rightful owners of these lands.
These are key reasons why the Norwegian Government Pension fund no longer invests in Barrick. It's also why the Swiss Research firm Covalence listed Barrick as the 12th least ethical company in the world:
Allegations against the company include charges that it had a hand in the burning of at least 130 homes near its Porgera Mine in Papua New Guinea and that it manipulated land titles in Australia and Chile. The company was also blamed in a toxic spill in Tanzania that left dangerous levels of arsenic in the area around its North Mara mine, and its attempts to mine the Pascua Lama region along the Argentina-Chile border were associated with a 56-70% shrinking of nearby glaciers.
And very recently, an influential stock market observer advised against buying Barrick stocks:
Another obstacle for Barrick Gold Corp. is controversy over its mining practices and alleged human rights abuses, which may make it harder for the company to get the permits it needs to operate.
There is no better symbol of the 1% exploiting humans and natural resources, who seek to use the full power of the state to do so, than Barrick Mining. According to author Peter C. Newman, Munk said he recruited Brian Mulroney (former Canadian Prime Minister) for the Barrick Board of Directors because he "knows every dictator in the world on a first-name basis".
By linking up with existing campaigns, the Occupy Wall Street movement can ratchet up its work to make corporations (like Barrick) as concerned about their impacts on people and communities as they are about their profits.
Widespread organized resistance is growing. Visit the websites of organizations throughout the world fighting Barrick and support their efforts:
Earthworks/No Dirty Gold
Friends of the Earth
Great Basin Resource Watch
Nevadans for Fair Mining Taxes
Protest Barrick
Let's also work collaboratively to link local Barrick/Mining campaigns with local OWS movements. Those most vulnerable to corporate violence are counting on it.