Sexual abuse among claims against HAGL
Sexual assault and the annihilation of sacred graveyards are among the many claims levelled at Vietnamese Rubber giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) by villagers in Ratanakkiri province, a report by the World Bank’s investment arm reveals. In February, 17 indigenous communities that accused HAGL of land grabbing filed a complaint with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) – which invests in the rubber producer via an intermediary fund called Dragon Capital Group. The submission triggered an investigation by the IFC’s internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO). In an initial assessment dated May 12 and published on its website, the CAO documented villager claims against HAGL of depleted fish levels in waterways, encroachment and destruction of sacred land, deaths of hundreds of livestock, and, in one of the more shocking accusations, sexual abuse by company employees. “The communities also shared with CAO that there were two instances of sexual assault by Company workers, resulting not only in individual duress, but also impacting how women in the village go about their daily activities to avoid potential harm,” the CAO report reads. … HAGL has constantly been at the centre of controversy over its agricultural investments in Cambodia. Last year, UK-based NGO Global Witness published a report accusing the company of illegally logging outside concession areas and of being in possession of at least 47,000 hectares of economic land concessions – almost five times the legal limit. Eang Vuthy, executive director of NGO Equitable Cambodia, which is working with affected families, said yesterday that having an open dialogue was an important step, but that there was still work to be done in achieving an appropriate resolution.
Daniel de Carteret
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/sexual-abuse-among-claims-against-hagl
