Police – Akali Tange Association

ATA releases new report: “Cost of Gold”

The report “Cost of Gold” is ATA’s third report, following “The Shooting Fields of Porgera” and “Porgera Gross Human Rights Violation Issues and the Way Forward.” It documents the extrajudicial killings, gang rapes, and other human rights abuses that have marked the development of the Porgera Joint Venture, carried out by Barrick Niugini Limited’s hired security guards and PNG police mobile squads. This is an avenue where lives of the indigenous Ipili speaking people of the Porgera Valley are at risk which requires immediate attention by responsible authorities and PNG government.

“Cost of Gold” was documented purposely to be presented to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea and the Mining Minister plus other Senior PNG’s State Ministers. This report was documented to alert the PNG Government of the happenings of Porgera, especially in terms of human rights abuse, and to inform the National Government of PNG to support ATA’s push for 5% Equity from the Mine should BNL opts not to adhere to the BSR’s proposed timeframe. Also in this report, ATA has inserted their proposed Ipili and or Engan Cultural Compensation Matrix to be endorsed by the PNG Government for BNL to use in providing remedies to the victims of Porgera come November.

READ FULL REPORT HERE: Cost of Gold Part One Cost of Gold Part Two

New report from the ATA: Porgera Gross Human Rights Violations and the “Way Forward”

From the Forward: Grievance mechanisms are increasingly important for development projects and extractive sectors where ongoing risks or adverse impacts are anticipated. They serve as a way to meet requirements, prevent and address negative human rights impacts, community concerns, reduce risk, and assist larger processes that create positive social change. Today, many companies employ ad hoc or exclusively internal processes to address grievances including the Barrick PJV. Unfortunately, these systems often produce less than satisfactory outcomes from the perspective of the company and/or the community. Recognizing this and noting a lack of effective alternatives, companies and communities are becoming more proactive in their efforts to design and build more effective strategies for addressing community grievances.

Yet it is often challenging for companies to design and implement successful grievance mechanisms that suit the project context. Recognizing the challenge, the ATA offers its position on how PJV can best design its project-level grievance mechanisms pursuant to United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights [The Guiding Principles] and an Ipili/Engan Culturally-Appropriate Grievance Mechanism.

This report on the Gross Human Rights Violation Issues and the “Way Forward” or the guide also emphasizes the importance of communication and coordination among the PJV-Barrick, ATA, communities, and other stakeholders directly affected by the PJV’s operations. We have learned from many years of experience that open dialogue and collaborative grievance resolution simply represents good business practice—both in managing for human and environmental risks and in furthering the community development objectives.

This report is offered as a companion to Performance Standards and accompanying Guidance Notes published by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other International Human Rights Organizations. These standards set forth the role for the PJV’s Operational Grievance Mechanisms for the Barrick PJV’s negative human rights impacts its operations has caused in this reports last chapter the “Way Forward”.

Download report here.

ATA responds to Barrick’s statement on Wangima house burnings, forced evictions and rape.

Today, the Akali Tange Association responded to Barrick’s statements on the recent house burnings and human rights abuses in Wangima Village. The response, titled “URGENT – Allegations of Human Rights Abuses at the Porgera Mine – Village Burning, Forced Eviction, Assault, Rape” addresses false claims by Barrick that only 18 temporary structures were burnt down. The letter also addresses Barrick’s responsibility regarding these abuses, questions Barrick’s claim that a search warrant was obtained from the Porgera District Court, questions the reliability of any investigation carried out by Mr. Ila Geno, and criticizes the ineffectiveness and lack of transparency of Porgera Joint Venture’s operational grievance mechanism.

READ Full statement here.
SEE Aerial evidence of house burning here.

Submission to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Factsheets- Porgera Gross Human Rights Violations Issues

As an organization representing and being mouth piece of all survivors of raped/gang rape, tortured, beaten, illegally detained and killed by Barrick Gold Corporation’s security guards and its hired PNG Police Mobil Squads at the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea, we are pleased to present towards your attention the following detailed report.

READ ATA’s recent submission to Alithia Barampataz National Human Rights Officer Human Rights Adviser’s Unit Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. April 24th, 2017