Ninety-five percent owned and fully operated by Barrick Gold, a Canadian company that is the world’s largest gold producer, the mine has long been a boon to PNG’s national treasury. But its impact on local communities has been far more complicated.
This report and video set out how some private security personnel employed by the Porgera mine have allegedly engaged in brutal gang rapes of local women as well as other violent crimes. They also set out longstanding environmental and health concerns about the mine’s operations – especially its practice of dumping 16,000 tons of liquid waste into the nearby Porgera river every day – a dangerous policy that is not consistent with industry good practice. The report and video further describe local problems directly related to the mine’s development, including the health impacts of mercury use by small scale and illegal miners in the area. Barrick’s response for many years was to disclose only the minimum of relevant data.