Grievance handling at a foreign-owned mine in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Across Southeast Asia, there are a range of complex human rights-related issues associated with resource extraction, including, regulatory architecture, institutional capacity, corruption, political freedoms, use of security forces, involuntary land acquisition and resettlement. At this stage, little is known about the degree to which these and other human rights considerations are being integrated into due diligence processes, or whether, in fact human rights due diligence is a being undertaken by businesses operating in the region. This article provides grounded insights about an operational-level grievance mechanism at a foreign owned mine in Southeast Asia. The authors argue that mining companies cannot claim neutrality in contexts where States exercise high levels of authority.