At the UN, Conectas denounces the lack of fair reparation for the communities impacted by the Mariana and Brumadinho disasters
The NGO also drew attention to the need for Brazil to implement international commitments in order to avoid further disasters
Segundo andar da Escola Municipal Caetano Barbosa, em Paracatu de Baixo, Mariana (MG). Foto: Camila Mikie/Conectas
On Tuesday (20), at the UN Human Rights Council, Conectas denounced the lack of fair reparation for the people and communities impacted by the disasters caused by the mining tailings dam burst in the towns of Brumadinho and Mariana in Minas Gerais. The protest was made during an interactive dialogue with the UN special rapporteur on toxics.
The organization also drew the international community´s attention to the need for Brazil to implement commitments made at the international level to avoid the repetition of disasters like the mining tailings dam ruptures in the towns in Minas Gerais.
Speaking specifically about Mariana, Conectas recalled that the dam burst happened seven years ago in early November and that “urgent measures are still needed in order to mitigate the severe ongoing violation of rights”.
At the end of August 2022, in a visit to the Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo, communities in the Mariana district, Conectas observed that a number of cases have still not been concluded. In many cases they have not even started. It is not unusual to see many families that have not even been recognised as having been affected.
In the report presented to the UPR with groups of affected people and civil society organizations, a failure to comply with the right to access to justice and reparation is noted. “Along the whole of the Rio Doce basin, thousands of small producers, family farmers, traditional river people and fisherfolk are unable to resume production capacity and their way of life. Environmental contamination with toxic waste and the lack of independent environmental information continue to be pertinent topics, along with the lack of independent damage assessment”.
According to the denouncement, there has still been no fair reparation and the communities complain that decisions concerning such measures are decided on without any effective participation of those affected by the disasters.
