We were so moved by our special guest, Evelyn, that we want to help in what small ways we can.
The Mining Injustice Solidarity Network (MISN) is heading a campaign to gather cell phones and cameras so that Joycelyn and Everlyn can distribute these documentation tools to women in the villages surrounding the Porgera Mine. As they both noted during their visit here, there is a lot of stigma around being raped in their culture, so women are easier to approach than men when it comes to reporting this violence. Already, these women provide hospital accompaniment and basic counselling to victims of mine violence, these tools can help them document mine abuses as they happen.
We will be collecting cell phones for distribution to Papua New Guinea at our next two upcoming events.
At “Why Should I Care?” it is our privilege to put on informative talks, open to the public. One recent talk focused on Canadian Mining Activities Abroad. Serendipitously, the week of our talk was also the week of Barrick Gold’s AGM, and a special guest from Papua New Guinea, Evelyn, joined us. She was originally here to speak at Barrick Gold’s AGM to tell Shareholders about the impacts of mining activities on her village. Not surprisingly, she was barred from speaking.
It was our pleasure to have Evelyn join us at our talk and when she stood up to speak, the room was silent. She spoke about water pollution and how mining has impacted their access to clean, safe water. She spoke about how the men were often shot at when they tried to defend their resources. Most heartbreaking of all, she spoke about how she was gang raped. The singular part that hit me the most though was her reaction to being in Toronto. When she first arrived, she thought this was a wonderful city. No doubt it was quite the change of pace from her village in Papua New Guinea. However, she had the misfortune of walking past the Munk Cardiac Centre. To see a name that her people has associated with the devil, emblazoned across a big building, celebrated as a hero made her sick. The reality hit her. Her literal rape brings wealth from her people to us.
I felt a pang of guilt. As an individual, I did her no wrong, but I also benefit from Evelyn’s suffering. I live in a city that enjoys wealth, much of it from mining (75% of the world’s mining companies have headquarters in Canada). We are beneficiaries of this wealth transfer. Minerals are taken from poor nations, yet the philanthropy happens here.
The saddest thing I learnt was how unnecessary it all is. Gold is one of the most recycled substances on Earth. Only 11% of mined gold goes towards anything useful. The rest is for investment and jewellry.
When we think about how our choices and our actions impact the environment, we also need to think about how it impacts other people.
Laws to hold companies accountable in Canadian courts for the actions abroad have failed to pass for obvious reasons. The lobby against it is intense and unlike laws that directly impact Canadians, there is little movement on the ground to support these laws.
By: Terri