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Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Thursday for accountability for the toxic spills that have affected children living near Lega Dembi gold mine in Ethiopia, urging the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to ask the Ethiopian government to suspend mining operations and take measures to safeguard children’s health.
HRW reported that residents near the Lega Dembi gold mine, especially children, have experienced severe health issues for years due to exposure to toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic. Furthermore, it emphasized that the Ethiopian government failed to fulfill previous promises to suspend mining operations until environmental concerns were addressed following popular protests between 2018 and 2021. Instead, the government reopened the mine without public notification and implemented a confidential memorandum of understanding with the company operating the mine, named Midroc Investment Group.
As the CRC is expected to meet with the Ethiopian government to assess the situation of children’s rights in the country, HRW recommended that the UN seizes this opportunity to urge the government to halt the mine operations, conduct an independent investigation into the health and environmental damages, and to ensure the victims’ access to effective remedy, including compensation, justice and medical care.
Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates that states implement all the necessary measures to diminish child mortality and protect children’s health from the dangers and risks of environmental pollution. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights also oblige companies to conduct human rights due diligence to ensure that their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses. Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Council recognized in 2022 the right to a healthy environment, which includes the right to live in a clean and sustainable environment as well as the right to access justice.
The Lega Dembi Mine is the largest gold mine in the Oromia region in Ethiopia, but its operation has caused significant environmental damage and severe health issues for local residents. In 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment reported during the 49th session of the Human Rights Council that the mine exposed thousands of Ethiopians to heavy metal poisoning and contaminated the local environment. The report cited similar problems in several other countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, and South Africa, which have also been affected by mining-related toxin contamination. Beyond environmental harm, a rights organization has previously found that affected communities struggled to obtain effective remedies and justice, leaving many without compensation or reparation for their environmental and health damages.
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HRW reported that residents near the Lega Dembi gold mine, especially children, have experienced severe health issues for years due to exposure to toxic chemicals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic. Furthermore, it emphasized that the Ethiopian government failed to fulfill previous promises to suspend mining operations until environmental concerns were addressed following popular protests between 2018 and 2021. Instead, the government reopened the mine without public notification and implemented a confidential memorandum of understanding with the company operating the mine, named Midroc Investment Group.
As the CRC is expected to meet with the Ethiopian government to assess the situation of children’s rights in the country, HRW recommended that the UN seizes this opportunity to urge the government to halt the mine operations, conduct an independent investigation into the health and environmental damages, and to ensure the victims’ access to effective remedy, including compensation, justice and medical care.
Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates that states implement all the necessary measures to diminish child mortality and protect children’s health from the dangers and risks of environmental pollution. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights also oblige companies to conduct human rights due diligence to ensure that their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses. Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Council recognized in 2022 the right to a healthy environment, which includes the right to live in a clean and sustainable environment as well as the right to access justice.
The Lega Dembi Mine is the largest gold mine in the Oromia region in Ethiopia, but its operation has caused significant environmental damage and severe health issues for local residents. In 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment reported during the 49th session of the Human Rights Council that the mine exposed thousands of Ethiopians to heavy metal poisoning and contaminated the local environment. The report cited similar problems in several other countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, and South Africa, which have also been affected by mining-related toxin contamination. Beyond environmental harm, a rights organization has previously found that affected communities struggled to obtain effective remedies and justice, leaving many without compensation or reparation for their environmental and health damages.
The post Rights group demands justice for vicitms of mining-related toxic spills in Ethiopia appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.