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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:58 am
Time: 11:58 am
Results for human rights abuses (nigeria)
1 results foundAuthor: Amunwa, Ben Title: Counting the Cost: Corporations and Human Rights Abuses in the Niger Delta Summary: This report examines the role of Shell in human rights abuses committed by Nigerian government forces and other armed groups between 2000 and 2010. It provides eight case studies, places them in wider social and environmental context and evaluates the level of legal, reputational and operational risk the company faces. Each case illustrates different but related ways that Shell’s conduct has led to repression and conflict. All eight cases are from the ‘eastern division’ of Shell’s operations in the Niger Delta, where the company first struck oil in commercial quantities in 1956. As the largest operator in the Delta, Shell is the focus of this report. But the issues, conclusions and recommendations apply to other oil companies operating in the region. The past decade in the Delta has brought brutal government crackdowns, the rise of armed groups and a multiplicity of intense conflicts. While primary responsibility for human rights violations falls on the Nigerian government and other perpetrators, Shell has played an active role in fuelling conflict and violence in a variety of forms. This report finds that: Shell’s close relationship with the Nigerian military exposes the company to charges of complicity in the systematic killing and torture of local residents. Testimony and contracts seen by Platform implicate Shell in regularly assisting armed militants with lucrative payments. In one case from 2010, Shell is alleged to have transferred over $159,000 to a group credibly linked to militia violence. Shell’s poor community engagement has provided the “catalyst” for major disruption, including one incident that shut down a third of Shell’s daily oil production in August 2011. In the absence of proper supervision and controls, Shell contractors, including multinationals like Halliburton, Daewoo and Saipem, have replicated many of Shell’s mistakes. Shell’s conduct in the Delta has local and global implications. Basic company errors have exacerbated violent conflicts in which entire communities have been destroyed. Billions have been lost in revenues to the government and oil companies, sending shockwaves through the global economy. These are not new phenomena. In 2003, a leaked internal report denounced Shell for its active involvement in the Delta conflict. Then, as now, Shell pledged to improve. But Platform’s report finds that Shell has not taken the necessary steps to de-militarise its operations in the Delta, resolve longstanding grievances and respect the human rights of local communities. The eight cases in this report are the thin end of the wedge. Many further cases of human rights abuse are associated with Shell’s operations in the western, central and outer Delta regions, as well as with Chevron, Eni and other oil companies and private military and security contractors (PMSCs). Given the widespread and systematic nature of the problem, this report aims to provide a cross-section, not a comprehensive overview. Platform believes there are many ways to address this urgent issue and at the end of this report puts forward key recommendations to the Nigerian authorities, Shell, shareholder investors and the UK, US and Dutch governments. Details: London: Platform, 2011. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 18, 2011 at: http://platformlondon.org/nigeria/Counting_the_Cost.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Nigeria URL: http://platformlondon.org/nigeria/Counting_the_Cost.pdf Shelf Number: 123042 Keywords: Corporate CrimeHuman Rights Abuses (Nigeria)Violence |