October 5, 2020
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WOMEN FILE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST MINING COMPANY FOR SEXUAL VIOLENCE
October 5, 2020
Statement by MTM (Mujeres Transformando el Mundo)
The transformative effect of the law is closely linked to access to justice. Today, eleven women filed a complaint against Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel -CGN- for sexual violence to which they were subjected during an eviction in 2007.
The case
The mining company is accused of sexual torture and crimes against humanity.
Since 2005, the community of Lote Ocho, in El Estor, Izabal, has faced land ownership conflicts with CGN, formerly owned by Skye Resources, which led to a series of evictions in January 2007. In this context, eleven women were gang raped by public security forces and security personnel of the mining company.
Recommendation no.33 of The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is that women's access to justice is essential to the realization of all their rights. It is a fundamental element of the rule of law and good governance, and calls on judicial bodies to maintain their independence when dealing with such complaints.
It is also recalled that the State must protect the human rights of women before, during and after a conflict, in order to ensure that they are integrated into all peacebuilding processes, according to Recommendation 30 of CEDAW, which reflects the views and situation of the women of Lote Ocho.
Lawsuit in Canada
In Canada, the eleven women have undertaken a lawsuit against Hudbay Minerals Inc, a Toronto-based mining company which bought Skye Resources, and its subsidiary CGN, one year after the eviction.
That ongoing lawsuit has shown, through emails, how CGN launched a campaign to generate fear in the inhabitants of Lote Ocho and 18 other indigenous communities, in order to expel them from a strip of land where the company has no right to exploit.
It is deplorable that, more than two decades after the signing of the Peace Accords in Guatemala, women's bodies are still being attacked in land struggles, as they were during the internal armed conflict.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which requires parties in conflict to respect women's rights and support their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, is approaching its 20th anniversary.
Unity and peace are fundamental in the journey towards justice, which is why the women of Lote Ocho have the support and backing of the Grandmothers of Sepur Zarco and the various civil society organizations that have signed this document.
Iximulew, Guatemala, October 5, 2020
More information
Mujeres Transformando el Mundo
https://mujerestransformandoelmundo.org/
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Rights Action’s community defense & Covid19 response fund
including on-going support for these land defense and justice struggles of mining-harmed Mayan Q’eqchi’ people.
Tax-Deductible Donations (Canada & U.S.)
Make check to "Rights Action" and mail to:
- U.S.: Box 50887, Washington DC, 20091-0887
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