Victims of the Trafigura toxic waste disaster have told of their desperate
and anxious wait to find out if they will get any of the $45 million
compensation owed to them.
Business and Human Rights
Amnesty’s Business and Human Rights program is about making sure companies respect human rights. This blog draws attention to issues of corporate accountability, human rights violations, and the need for legislation to hold Canadian companies accountable. We focus primarily on Canadian mining, oil and gas companies, as well as other areas of Business and Human Rights. For more information and opportunities to take action, we encourage you to join AI-Canada’s Business and Human Rights email list serve. To join, send an email to aices_business_and_hr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Toxic waste victims desperate for justice
3 February 2010 2:25 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
This Valentine's Day, send an e-card that will help support human rights.
2 February 2010 4:11 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
In 2009 police officers in Papua New Guinea illegally and forcibly evicted people from their homes alongside one of the biggest mines in Papua New Guinea, the Porgera gold mine.
The mine is 95 percent owned and operated through the Porgera Joint Venture by subsidiaries of the Canadian-based mining company, Barrick Gold Corporation.
- Send a Valentine’s Day card to the companies and governments about their human rights responsibilities at Porgera Mine
- Share the Valentine with your friends
- Send Barrick Gold a “tweet” on Twitter
- Read Amnesty International’s new report “Undermining Rights: Forced evictions and police brutality around the Porgera gold mine, Papua New Guinea”
New Amnesty International Report - Porgera Mine
2 February 2010 3:58 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
Police violence and illegal evictions near Papua New Guinean gold mine must be investigated
The government of Papua New Guinea must investigate the conduct of police who burnt down homes and threatened people with guns while illegally evicting them from land next to one of the biggest gold mines in the country, Amnesty International said today.
Amnesty International’s report, Undermining Rights: Forced evictions and police brutality around the Porgera gold mine, Papua New Guinea, documents police violence and the forced eviction by police of families living alongside the Porgera gold mine.
Amnesty International also has concerns regarding ongoing support to
the police by companies involved in the mine after the companies became
aware of the police activity in the area.
The mine is 95% owned and operated by subsidiaries of the largest
gold mining company in the world, Canadian-based Barrick Gold
Corporation (Barrick), as part of the Porgera Joint Venture (PJV). PJV
supplied accommodation, food and fuel to the police under an agreement
that PJV claims was conditional on the police abiding by national laws
and international standards, including the Voluntary Principles on
Security and Human Rights.
Financial Times: Time to redraw the battle lines
14 January 2010 2:14 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
It is dusk in London and Amnesty International has mobilised hundreds of protesters in its campaign against Shell's allegedly damaging business practices in the Niger Delta. They march in a snake formation, some carrying flaming torches, others a replica pipeline on their shoulders. Their aim is to draw attention to huge oil spills and gas flaring that, they say, are ruining the health and livelihood of many in this troubled corner of Nigeria.
For Amnesty, the world's best-known human rights watchdog, the march last month was part of its biggest ever campaign against a single company. The campaign is the flagship of the group's expanded focus on poverty and other economic issues.
Shell, which sees itself at the vanguard of best practice in the business human rights debate, rejects Amnesty's claims.
China: Censorship of the internet must stop
13 January 2010 2:35 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
13 January 2010
Amnesty International has again urged the Chinese authorities to end censorship of the internet after online firm, Google, today raised concern about the hacking of human rights activists’ email accounts.
Take Action - Corporate Accountability
1 December 2009 6:26 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
Bill C-300 hangs in the balance.
If you haven't already done so, send a message to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade to declare your support for Bill C-300 - an act respecting corporate accountability for the activities of Canadian mining, oil and gas in developing countries.
The Committee is expected to vote on the Bill very soon. Please take action right now.
EVENT: Candle light vigil and public forum
26 November 2009 7:01 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
25 Years Later and Still Demanding Justice for Bhopal
Date: Thursday December 3rd
To mark the 25th anniversary of the massive leak of toxic chemicals in Bhopal, India in 1984 this public forum is being presented by Amnesty International, the Council of Canadians and the South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy.
Small victory for Cote d'Ivoire toxic waste dump victims
16 November 2009 4:54 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
News Release - November 10th 2009
Victims of the 2006 toxic waste dumping scandal in Côte d’Ivoire told Amnesty International on Monday that a ruling protecting their compensation was a "small victory".
There were celebrations in the capital Abidjan last week when a court ruled that the $45m settlement paid by oil-trading company Trafigura to people affected by the toxic waste dumping should not be transferred into the account of an organisation which is falsely claiming to represent all 30,000 of them.
CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY QUIZ
8 October 2009 5:14 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
Q: What is the "Resource Curse"?
( ) A Harry Potter magic spell
( ) The latest Indiana Jones film
( ) A term to describe the worrying fact that many countries that are very rich in natural resources have very high levels of poverty.
Want to know more? Take the Corporate Accountability quiz
Bill C-300
24 September 2009 8:03 pm
Posted by: Fiona Koza
If you haven't already contacted the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to express your support for Bill C-300, we urge you to do so now.
If you would like to read more about Bill C-300