Oil, Mining, and Natural Resources

The oil, mining and gas industries are central to the economies of many developing countries. At the same time, these industries often give rise to human rights problems so serious that they can devastate vulnerable communities. Human Rights Watch investigates how lucrative and politically important extractives projects can become entangled with abuses by unaccountable security forces; undermine the livelihoods of families forced to relocate to make way for them; and fuel government corruption that undermines the very economic promise these industries might otherwise represent. We work to develop solutions to the problems we expose, taking our research directly from impacted communities to the boardrooms of leading multinationals and the offices of government regulators.