On September 20, The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela published several reports detailing the findings of its investigation into human rights violations in Venezuela. One of the documents revealed the situation of human rights in the Orinoco Mining Arc and other areas of the state of Bolívar.
The creation of the National Strategic Development Zone of the Orinoco Mining Arc by the Venezuelan State opened the door to the legal and illegal exploitation of gold and other minerals in the country, bringing with it the incorporation of a dynamics of plundering that has affected both human populations and the environment. This United Nations report confirms the repeated complaints made by social organizations about the systematic violation of human rights in the context of the Orinoco Mining Arc. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission based its analysis and conclusions on the testimonies collected in 155 interviews (71 in field missions and 84 through remote channels) with victims, relatives, human rights organizations and representatives of indigenous peoples. Below are some of the most relevant findings contained in the 156-page report.
The State and irregular armed groups
The investigation maintains that there is evidence that allows establishing links between some authorities of the Venezuelan State and the criminal gangs involved in the illegal trade of gold from the Mining Arc. The report states that “[a]ccording to the Mission’s investigation, there appears to be a common form of collaboration between the FANB and criminal armed groups, consisting of the exchange of gold for weapons.”
The presence and activity of the ELN in the Mining Arc
The document also confirms the presence and expansion of foreign armed groups in the national territory, including the Colombian guerrilla group Ejército de Liberación Nacional. The report mentions the collaboration and complicity of some members of the Bolivarian National Guard with these irregular groups.
Violence in the Orinoco Mining Arc
The report indicates that foreign armed groups such as the ELN and the FARC, as well as the so-called “unions”, have established different dynamics of violence that manifest themselves in “(1) confrontations between State security forces and armed groups, including “cleansing” operations in mining areas; (2) violent incidents between armed groups, as well as violent acts perpetrated by armed groups against the civilian and mining population and for control of the mines; (3) attacks perpetrated by the ELN; and (4) corporal punishment, including executions.”
Violence for the control of mining in indigenous territories
The investigation indicates that several indigenous leaders have received threats, in some cases by irregular armed groups and in others by agents of the Venezuelan State. The document indicates that “[p]articularly starting in 2016 up until the date of writing this report, several indigenous leaders have been targets of threats and attacks. These dynamics have been especially frequent in indigenous communities situated in strategic locations due to the presence of mines or because they find themselves on trafficking routes, such as the communities of Kumarakapay, located on the Troncal 10, and Maurak, which hosts the Santa Elena de Uairén airport”.
The invasion of indigenous territories by the military and irregular groups threatens the physical integrity of indigenous peoples, as documented in detail in the UN report through several cases in which different indigenous communities were subject to violence and other human rights violations.
Sexual and gender-based violence in the context of mining in the state of Bolívar
The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission identified cases of sexual exploitation of women and girls. In this regard, the report indicates that “[s]exual exploitation of girls and adolescents is particularly frequent in mines. Local organizations specialized in the rights of indigenous peoples have denounced that many of the currutelas and places where sex work takes place enslave indigenous girls and adolescents. Female prostitutes are furthermore increasingly younger, due to a preference for younger girls”
The report also mentions indications of cases of prostitution of girls. According to the testimony of a man who worked in several mines in Sifontes municipality in 2016 and 2017, there were sex workers in all the mines, including girls aged 12 and older. Girls were almost always put to work in the early hours of the morning, while older women worked in the evenings. Another witness who spoke to the Mission and who worked in San Luis de Morichal mines between May and July 2018 claims to have seen at least 25 children working in the currutelas in these mines.”
The report details the violations of the human rights of indigenous peoples and women and girls in the context of the Orinoco Mining Arc. This document encourages social, indigenous, environmental and human rights organizations to continue investigating and denouncing the impacts of legal and illegal mining in Venezuela.
Translated by José Rafael Medina
