abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

13 Dec 2017

Author:
Ashifa Kassam, Guardian (UK)

Canada: Guatemalan women give testimony as part of discovery procedure in lawsuit against Hudbay Minerals

" Guatemalan women take on Canada's mining giants over 'horrific human rights abuses' ", 13 Dec 2017

 ...The 11 women say they were raped repeatedly by the armed men...The women link the violence to the nearby Fenix mine...and the Guatemalan subsidiary that was overseeing its operations...[and] controlled by Vancouver-based Skye Resources. In 2008, Skye was acquired by Toronto’s Hudbay Minerals... 

...A team of Toronto lawyers [filed] civil lawsuits that argue that the Canadian parent company, later acquired by Hudbay, was negligent when it came to monitoring the actions of its Guatemalan subsidiary.

...[I]n 2013...a court in Ontario dismissed an application by Hudbay to throw out the case. The decision marked the first time in Canada that foreign claimants had been granted access to the courts in order to pursue Canadian companies for alleged human rights abuses abroad.

...The Guatemalan women last month travelled to Toronto for the case’s discovery phase, fielding hours of questions from lawyers for the company.

...Hudbay has disputed the allegations...

...The lawsuits against Hudbay are unlikely to reach court for years...But they have already paved the way for similar cases, including a legal challenge that links a Vancouver-based company to allegations of modern slavery.

Timeline