Slavery
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 30 April 2017 06:15
- Written by editor
A,
Canadian company Nevsun Resources used slave labor to build a gold, copper and zinc mine in Eritrea.
Brave former workers broke the silence about the harrowing conditions they faced -- including forced labor, imprisonment, and torture. And now, in a landmark decision, their civil action suit will be heard in a Canadian court.
It's clear that Nevsun and its shareholders profited off of slavery and abuse for years. That's why we are teaming up with our friends at Freedom United to deliver your signatures at Nevsun's annual shareholder meeting next Wednesday in front of Nevsun's executives, investors, shareholders and the media.
Original email from 2015:
Slavery is government policy in Eritrea. And this Canadian mining corporation is getting rich off the proceeds while slaves are forced to work on its Eritrean copper mine.
Join the 130,000 SumOfUs members who have signed the petition and speak out against Nevsun's slavery before its AGM on Wednesday.
Friend,
A Canadian mining corporation is profiting from slave labor in Eritrea, according to a new UN report.
The survivors of conscription in Eritrea have reported brutal scenes of torture, rape, and summary execution. They're made to work backbreaking jobs under the guise of “national service” for international corporations like Nevsun, which opted into this system when it opened its Bisha mine.
When confronted about its connection to slave labor, Nevsun Resources Ltd has refused to face the facts. Instead, it gleefully advertises the Eritrean mine as “untapped potential”.
Tell Nevsun Resources to stop allowing slavery in its mines.
Now that this UN report is out, the international community will be watching closely. Nevsun even had to respond publicly to the allegations. Its answer? That the UN failed to rely on the company’s own “independent” human rights assessment.
Few dispute that the Eritrean state has been involved in significant human rights abuses. But Nevsun is the only foreign mining company paying royalties and taxes to the Eritrean treasury -- almost a billion dollars so far, and another $14 billion over the next ten years.
Why does Nevsun do this? Because it’s making billions of dollars from the Bisha mine.
Nevsun Resources: Make sure all the workers at Bisha are paid fairly for their work.
Nevsun says these indentured workers were sub-contracted, and therefore not its responsibility. Imagine if every mining company across the world took this position, and tried to wash their hands of the most egregious of human rights abuses happening right under their noses.
It’s increasingly common -- companies are trying to bury human rights abuses through opaque supply chains, and mining companies are some of the worst.
Together, we can prevent more shady investment in Eritrea -- especially for companies that want to follow Nevsun’s example and profit from the sweat and tears of indentured workers.
We've done it before -- a few months ago we got the CEO of mining giant Newmont to agree to stop building its Conga mine in Peru without community consent.
Tell Nevsun there's no excuse for slavery -- make sure ALL your workers get paid!
Thanks for all that you do,
Angus, Emma, Tara, Toni, and the team at SumOfUs
**********
More information:
UN finds Eritrea may have committed crimes against humanity, Reuters, June 8 2015
Report of the detailed findings of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea, June 5 2015
Eritreans' case against Nevsun can proceed in Canada Mining.com, Oct 7 2016
Canadian firm faces new forced labour claims over Eritrean mine, The Guardian, October 14 2016.
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