AngloAmerican’s Minas-Rio is negatively impairing basic human rights for at least 120k local people.

Photo credits: Tatiana Zanon, Splash.com

Brazil has the world’s sixth-largest mining industry and is the world’s second-largest iron ore producer, with 17% of global production1;p4. Studies on the extractive industries in Brazil found communities living nearby seldom enjoy the benefits of mining2. With reduced protection from the Brazilian government in extractive areas, miners are increasing their activity, intensifying conflicts3;p2, degrading the environment, polluting air and water, and impairing livelihoods2.

100%-owned by Anglo American, Minas-Rio iron ore mine in Brazil is the world’s ninth-largest mine, holding around 1.3 billion tonnes of resources and an expected lifetime of 48 years1;p13. The Mine has a design capacity of approximately 26.5 million tonnes/year1;p13. The majority of Minas-Rio’s open-pit production is located in Conceição do Mato Dentro Municipality, with a population of 120,000 people1;p13.

A 2021 study found the mine’s impacts on the nearby communities1;p5 and their human rights to water, food, health, and livelihoods1;p38, is disproportional for low-income households, and they are experiencing water deficiency, airborne pollution, and economic loss1;p6. The land area used to cultivate local crops has decreased by 70% since 2012, when Minas-Rios construction began1;p26. Local economic decline is associated with reduced cultivation1;p13 and water shortages1;p27, causing locals to spend more money to buy food1;p31, and electricity for pumping water1;p37.

The arrival of mineworkers caused an increase in land occupation1;p33 and the incidence of crimes since 20121;p32. Furthermore, 80% of the municipal budget is spent on local impacts of Minas-Rio (road buildings, etc) to the detriment of public services1;p33. In addition, mine-affected communities receive no benefits from Anglo American’s tax and royalty payments1;p34, reporting persecution for those expressing discontent4.

Anglo-American’s Minas-Rio is negatively impacting the fundamental human rights of local communities in Brazil. The company needs to carry out a thorough human rights impact assessment and conduct due diligence for its mine operations.

This post was originally published on November 29th, 2021 at Impaakt.com. Find the original post here.