"Inequality of Arms:  A summary of concerns raised by victims of violence by private and public mine security at Barrick Gold’s North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania regarding the mine’s new Operation-level Grievance Mechanism"

This brief summarizes disturbing issues that arose in interviews conducted by MiningWatch Canada in August 2018 with male Kuria villagers who are victims of excess use of force by mine security1 and are now participants, at various stages, in the North Mara Gold Mine’s (also “the mine”) new Operation-level Grievance Mechanism (OGM). This brief also provides initial findings based on MiningWatch’s review of some “Case Summaries” and “Remediation Plans” prepared by the mine’s Community Impacts & Remediation Investigation Team (CIRIT) in regard to the victims that were interviewed. Also included are insights from a member of the mine’s Grievance Committee and responses to some of the issues we raise here from the mine’s Section Leader for CIRIT as provided in a meeting with MiningWatch on August 17, 2018...

Concerns that arose about the new Operation-level Grievance Mechanism in MiningWatch’s interviews with victims of mining-related human rights abuses include: 1. Lack of capacity of grievants [include;] lack of capacity of grievants...lack of understanding of the full process and their rights therein by grievants...[and] grievants dissatisfaction with the remedy offered.