"Acacia Mining Faces New Human Rights Problems in Tanzania"

UK gold mining company, Acacia Mining, is facing increased pressure to address human rights concerns at its North Mara gold mine in Tanzania and to suspend the company’s problematic grievance process...[RAID says the] mine’s grievance process...permits victims to bring complaints to the mine for abuses they have suffered, including by the police. But rather than providing relief and compensation, the grievance process disempowers victims and subjects them to a humiliating process. It permits the company to act as investigator, judge and jury on the serious human rights violations committed by its security personnel and/or the  police working alongside them.

In a new report released today, based on in-depth research with over 90 victims and witnesses, RAID found that Acacia’s grievance mechanism at the North Mara mine is failing victims and local residents and is a far cry from being compliant with the United Nation Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the standard business corporations are expected to apply...

 RAID called on Acacia’s Board to suspend the grievance process pending external review by independent experts, assist local judicial authorities to bring the perpetrators to account and provide immediate humanitarian assistance to those harmed.  “Acacia Mining is facing a host of problems that undermine its reputation and its ability to operate in Tanzania, but surely none is more important than avoiding killings and injuries as a result of the company’s operations,” said Van Woudenberg. “Acacia’s Board should follow Bristow’s lead, publicly acknowledge the human rights issues at the North Mara mine and take urgent steps to rectify them.”