Blog Entry

Letter to UN Commissioner for Human Rights re: Barrick Gold's "grievance" procedure for victims of rape by security guards at the Porgera Joint Venture mine in Papua New Guinea

Catherine Coumans

Ph.D. Research Coordinator and Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator

Following a visit to the Porgera community, Catherine Coumans wrote to Dr. Navanethem Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to alert her to the fact that Canadian mining company Barrick Gold is abusing the use of a non-judicial grievance mechanism to get female victims of rape by security guards at Barrick’s Porgera Joint Venture Mine (PJV) in Papua New Guinea to sign away their right to legal recourse in return for remedy packages. The remedy program is also subject to a number of other serious concerns, which are detailed in these letters.

Initial letter to UNHCHR on Porgera, March 19, 2013

Response from Barrick Gold, March 22, 2013

Follow-up letter from MiningWatch, April 2, 2013

Letter to UN Commissioner for Human Rights - April 2, 2013 Letter to UN Commissioner for Human Rights - March 19, 2013