Donate | Grassroots International

Justice for the Victims of Goldcorp, Inc. in Guatemala

Indigenous communities affected by the Marlin Mine, operated by Goldcorp, Inc. of Canada, are calling on us to help them defend their human rights.

In particular, community members note that Goldcorp has violated their right to free, prior, and informed consent, enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in September 2007, and recognized in a recent decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Residents near the Marlin Mine also cite Goldcorp's poor environmental record, including detonations that have caused structural damages to nearby homes and the contamination and depeletion of local water sources.

Take action now to demand:

1. Goldcorp Inc. pay all damages incurred on families and communities affected by their operations and leave the country;
2. the Canadian Embassy, Goldcorp Shareholders, the World Bank and other actors involved stop supporting and promoting the activities of Goldcorp in Guatemala;
3. the Guatemalan Government, along with the company and shareholders, respect the results of the community consultations that have taken place and will be carried out in Guatemala.

*Note: If outside the U.S., please select "Other" for your State in the form below.

May 23, 2013

Subject:

The 36-year internal armed conflict left the Guatemalan population with a destroyed social fabric, 250,000 dead and 50,000 disappeared.  For more than 12 years, the people of Guatemala have strived to restore a democratic system in the country.  Unfortunately, this process is being attacked by policies that have been imposed on citizens by Guatemalan and international economic powers, such as the mining sector.

Since 2005, the Canadian company Goldcorp Inc. has been extracting gold and silver in the municipality of San Miguel Ixtahuacan, San Marcos. This mining project has provoked a climate of insecurity, laid conditions for corruption, and caused high levels of social conflict and a series of human rights violations against the indigenous populations that live there.

The mining project has violated national laws and international conventions effective in Guatemala by not consulting the communities affected by the mine, even though it is a process considered necessary and obligatory by national and international standards.

Goldcorp has approximately 28 mining licenses in the country, which would contribute to increased levels of conflict in the affected areas.  At no time has the company attained the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples affected, which implies a continued violation of their collective rights and sovereignty.  Since 2005, there have been 33 community consultations in Guatemala, in which more than a total of 500,000 people have rejected mining activity in their territory.

For these reasons, we consider the presence of the mining company and its operations in the country illegitimate.  For the aforementioned reasons, and because we believe that Guatemala deserves to live in peace, we echo community demands that:

We will add your signature from the information you provide.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Street*

Street 2

City*

State/Province*

Zip/Postal Code*

Send an Email