Impact Spotlight: Wittenoom – Poisoned Land, Ignored Crime
Global dependence on extractive resources has often tied Western prosperity to environmental harm borne by local communities. How can the right to a healthy environment be protected in the face of such powerful economic interests?
In Australia, the Wittenoom asbestos mine was operated with no regard for Aboriginal communities, the traditional custodians of the land. Though now closed, the site has become a vast contaminated exclusion zone, often described as Australia’s Chernobyl. Communities continue to suffer its consequences and are seeking redress, demanding decontamination and pursuing their case as far as Geneva. Beyond Wittenoom, how can the rights of Indigenous peoples be enforced in the face of resource extraction? And how should responsibility be shared between states and corporations to guarantee the right to a healthy environment?
Co-presented with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Public Eye | Organised with the support of the Smile Wave Fund
PLEASE NOTE: Industry Accreditation and Daily Pass holders must book their (free) seat for this screening.We recommend you book quickly as seats go fast!
Alexis Deswaef
Human rights lawyer, President of the FIDH
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Astrid Puentes Riaño
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment
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Yaara Bou Melhem
Director of Yurlu | Country
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Johnnell Parker
Vice Chair of Banjima Native Title Aboriginal Corporation
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Géraldine Viret
Spokesperson for French-speaking Switzerland, Public Eye
