Extractives

The exploitation of natural resources has become a significant source of revenue for governments in the East and Horn of Africa as well as a powerful tool for their continued development. However, the combination of new or rapidly growing industries the sudden influx of large capital, non-compliance with industrial standards or national legislation, and weak monitoring mechanisms has at time created the need for strong civil society engagement to ensure that peoples’ rights are respected. Human rights defenders working on extractives attempting to raise human rights concerns with both governments and powerful international corporations are confronted with threats and attacks by both State and non-State actors. Many of these defenders work in remote areas, where the lack of strong support mechanisms places them at increased risk.