Stop Blood Coal
With the 'Stop Blood Coal campaign' PAX aims to make a difference in the lives of tens of thousands people who have become victims of paramilitary in the mining area of Cesar, Colombia. We support these victims in their search for truth and reconciliation and push mining companies to take their responsibility and contribute to actual remedy for the victims.
From 1996 to 2006, residents of the Cesar mining region of Colombia, from which European power utilities source most of their coal, have suffered greatly from paramilitary violence. At least 3100 people have been murdered, 55,000 farmers have been driven from their land and hundreds of people have disappeared. Even today, the atrocities faced by victims and their surviving relatives have never been acknowledged, let along compensation being awarded.
PAX has conducted research into the history of paramilitary violence and established that there is a coincidence between the arrival of extractive multinationals and rise of paramilitary presence in the region. Furthermore the mining companies have not helped to prevent the violence from occurring, while they have profited from the consequences, among others through the purchase of land that originally belonged to displaced farmers.
The mining companies so far deny carrying responsibility for the negative human rights impact. In a meantime the victims have been waiting over 15 years for truth and compensation. PAX expects that governments and energy companies, in their role as buyers, consider their suppliers – the coal mining companies - responsible for making a contribution to the solution of the situation of the victims.
Nieuws
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PAX partners with Colombian Truth Commission
12-02-2019 PAX has become an official partner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Colombia.
Dealing with the Past Colombia -
Drummond ends dialogue with Vattenfall on human rights
30-01-2019 Mining multinational Drummond has ended the dialogue with European Energy giant Vattenfall, because they disagree with Vattenfall’s human rights approach.
Natural Resources, Conflict & Human Rights Colombia -
Energy companies seek solution for blood coal victims
17-01-2019 Four major European energy companies want their coal suppliers in the mining region of Cesar in Colombia to begin a process of reconciliation with victims of human rights violations.
Natural Resources, Conflict & Human Rights Colombia
