This is a report of MiningWatch Canada's human rights field assessment of Acacia Mining/Barrick Gold's North Mara mine in northwest Tanzania, conducted by staff member Catherine Coumans. This was the fourth consecutive year Coumans had conducted human rights field assessments around the mine interviewing over a 100 victims and family members of victims of excess use of force, including sexual violence, by mine security and police guarding the mine.
Based on the field assessments carried out between 2014 and 2017, the mine’s grievance office has never functioned equitably, or in accordance with other principles covered under the UN Guiding Principle’s effectiveness criteria. Furthermore, interactions between grievance office personnel and alleged victims appear to have become even less legitimate, predictable, transparent, and rights-compatible since the Leigh Day law suit was settled early in 2015.