CHRAJ LAUNCHES REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS - in mining communities in Ghana
Gilbert Boyefio
04/09/08
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice on Thursday launched a comprehensive report on the state of human rights in mining communities in Ghana.
The report, which emanated from a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Commission in December 12, 2006, was to make a lasting solution to be found regarding the systemic causes of the alleged violations of rights and concerns raised about fundamental freedoms and rights of people living within mining communities.
Addressing participants at the launch, Richard Quayson, Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, stressed the Commission’s position that the investigation and the report were not an attempt to find faults with anyone, observing, “In the view of the Commission, it remains a genuine attempt to enlist the support of all the stakeholders and give them the opportunity to address the issues in a co-operative manner.”
He pointed out that “it is in the best interest of every single stakeholder as well as the collective whole that we all approach the report with the highest level of candidness and open mindedness to enable us have the full benefit of this important exercise.”
Mr Quayson urged government to take the difficult but necessary decision on the report to ensure that those critical concerns which require government interventions were promptly and decisively addressed.
Findings from the report show that there is evidence of widespread violations of human rights of individual members of communities and communities’ collective rights in some mining areas in Ghana.
The report found evidence to conclude that there had been widespread pollution in communities’ water sources, deprivation and loss of livelihood. Several examples of excesses by the security agencies and security contractors of the mining companies were provided and documented. The findings include the following: inadequate compensation for destroyed properties; unacceptable alternative livelihood projects; absence of effective channels of communications and consultations between the companies and the communities; excesses against galamseys; health problems attributed to mining, reckless spillage of cyanide, and unfulfilled promises of employment.
The study result shows that the nature and degree of these abuses vary in scale, based on a variety of considerations such as the specific company operating in the area; the stage of mining activities, proximity of community to mining and processing facilities, and the mining culture of local population. According to the report, the most serious complaints of abuses came from communities within the operational areas of long history of mining and least in those at mine development phase.
It noted that complaints of human rights violations were more prevalent in communities affected by AngloGold Ashanti operations in Obuasi and Golden Star Resource operations in Prestea and Dumasi. In many of these cases the violations were against alleged ‘galamseys’ - encroaching upon concessions of these companies.
The report indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency, had amply demonstrated lack of capacity, in terms of human and financial resources, to hold mining companies accountable for their environmental stewardship, as required by law. It also established that communities impacted by mining activities do not directly benefit from mining royalties, and in most cases, do not even know of the existence of the facility.
The report recommended amongst other things that some of these issues could be addressed through a legal frame work and therefore, called on government to review the Mineral’s and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703, to give better protection to people living in mining areas in the country. It further recommended that in view of widespread poverty in the mining communities and the changing economy of food crop production in the world, government should not grant or renew any mineral rights until a cost-benefit analysis of the mining industry had been done.
04/09/08
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice on Thursday launched a comprehensive report on the state of human rights in mining communities in Ghana.
The report, which emanated from a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Commission in December 12, 2006, was to make a lasting solution to be found regarding the systemic causes of the alleged violations of rights and concerns raised about fundamental freedoms and rights of people living within mining communities.
Addressing participants at the launch, Richard Quayson, Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, stressed the Commission’s position that the investigation and the report were not an attempt to find faults with anyone, observing, “In the view of the Commission, it remains a genuine attempt to enlist the support of all the stakeholders and give them the opportunity to address the issues in a co-operative manner.”
He pointed out that “it is in the best interest of every single stakeholder as well as the collective whole that we all approach the report with the highest level of candidness and open mindedness to enable us have the full benefit of this important exercise.”
Mr Quayson urged government to take the difficult but necessary decision on the report to ensure that those critical concerns which require government interventions were promptly and decisively addressed.
Findings from the report show that there is evidence of widespread violations of human rights of individual members of communities and communities’ collective rights in some mining areas in Ghana.
The report found evidence to conclude that there had been widespread pollution in communities’ water sources, deprivation and loss of livelihood. Several examples of excesses by the security agencies and security contractors of the mining companies were provided and documented. The findings include the following: inadequate compensation for destroyed properties; unacceptable alternative livelihood projects; absence of effective channels of communications and consultations between the companies and the communities; excesses against galamseys; health problems attributed to mining, reckless spillage of cyanide, and unfulfilled promises of employment.
The study result shows that the nature and degree of these abuses vary in scale, based on a variety of considerations such as the specific company operating in the area; the stage of mining activities, proximity of community to mining and processing facilities, and the mining culture of local population. According to the report, the most serious complaints of abuses came from communities within the operational areas of long history of mining and least in those at mine development phase.
It noted that complaints of human rights violations were more prevalent in communities affected by AngloGold Ashanti operations in Obuasi and Golden Star Resource operations in Prestea and Dumasi. In many of these cases the violations were against alleged ‘galamseys’ - encroaching upon concessions of these companies.
The report indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency, had amply demonstrated lack of capacity, in terms of human and financial resources, to hold mining companies accountable for their environmental stewardship, as required by law. It also established that communities impacted by mining activities do not directly benefit from mining royalties, and in most cases, do not even know of the existence of the facility.
The report recommended amongst other things that some of these issues could be addressed through a legal frame work and therefore, called on government to review the Mineral’s and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703, to give better protection to people living in mining areas in the country. It further recommended that in view of widespread poverty in the mining communities and the changing economy of food crop production in the world, government should not grant or renew any mineral rights until a cost-benefit analysis of the mining industry had been done.
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