Six rights violations caused by Samarco against families of those disappeared

Families of the people disappeared after the Fundão dam rupture, property of Samarco (Vale/BHP-Billiton), have met this Monday (23) with members of the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) to discuss the agenda of demands and how to organize to guarantee their rights and seek ways to rebuild their lives. At this meeting, participated families that after 18 days of the disaster

has not had access to the bodies of their loved ones and are living in distress, victims of the company’s negligence.
After the rupture of the dams occurred on November 5^th, 13 deaths have been counted so far. Of these, four bodies are awaiting identification. Last Friday afternoon (20), it was released the identity of the worker’s body Samuel Vieira Albino, 34 years. Earlier that day, Samuel’s wife, Aline Ribeiro, and other victims’ families protested to demand more agility and transparency in the searches.
Families reported rights violations that the company and the government have caused in their lives since the day of dam rupture. Among them are:

1. Lack of transparency

The families affirm to have difficulties to access informations since the tragedy. “My husband, since he started working there the company had my number and called me several times. At that day [of the tragedy] no one called me”, said Ana Paula A. Alexandre, wife of Edinaldo Assis, a sub-contracted worker of Samarco.

This is one of the reasons which provoked the protest of the families on Friday (20). They claim that the searches are being done without transparency. The protest have outcome of a commission of representatives of the families to meet periodically with the company and the Fire Brigade.

2. Delay on the identification of the bodies

Eighteen days after the tragedy there are still four corpses waiting for identification. The voluntary doctors of the Popular Doctors Network, were also present at the meeting. And questioned this delay. “There is certainly faster forms to identify a body, one of them is, even if it is very painful, but to call the family to identify.”said one of the doctors present at the meeting.

One of the disappeared, is Maria Eliza Lucas, mother of Wanderey Lucas Filho. He reminded that, because so many days have passed, the bodies probably are very deteriorated, and unrecognizable.

At the meeting with Samarco last Friday, after the protest, he received the information that a woman’s body had been foud and that would be taken to Belo Horizonte for identification. He is waiting for the results.

3. Unadequate physicological assistance

Jaqueline Fernandes, lost her brother, worker of Samarco, Mateus Marques Fernandes. He left his five year old son. Jaqueline told that the phycologist contracted by Samarco attended the child only once, promised him a present and never showed up again. “You can’t do that with a child that have not even understood that he lost his father.”

Another disappeared worker’s wife affirmed that in 15 days, she have been attended by four different psychologists.

The doctors questioned the autonomy of these professionals to attend the victims and also reminded the need to have a relation of reliability and trust between the patients and these type of professionals.

4. Lack of access to memory and property
The relatives also claim that the company is hindering access to personal belongings that the workers left stored in the closet of the company. The company reportedly told the families that they require judicial authorization to do so.

5. The “defendant” in control of the investigation of the crime

They treated me like a “tennis ball”. They sent me to look for someone of Samarco, getting there, that person did not exist,”complained Wanderley. The entire apparatus to investigations involving the Fire Department, Military Police and others is located at company headquarters.

The economy of the Mariana city depends more than 80% of mining, mainly from Samarco. The company has an important economic and political power in the region, which generates distrust and fear to those affected. “I’m guided to file a police report. I described the situation and a sergeant asked me three times: are you sure you want to put this in the police report? I mean, there is an attempt to detach the name of the company Samarco responsible for this incident.”said one of the meeting participants.

6. Job insecurity, particularly for the sub-contracted workers

The dead and missing workers were sub-contracted. In many sectors, they are often exposed to situations of larger insecurity in comparison to the workers employed directly. Family members reported no security system in the mining and a possible order for the workers to continue their work even after being identified the possibility of risk.

“This was no natural disaster, it was not God who created the dam and collapsed it, this was made by a company. It is a crime, there was negligence and there has to be punishment,”said Jacqueline.

The struggle for rights

Due to these violations, the family built with MAB a list of demands to present the company with the following points:

1. Right to bury the dead: continuity and agility in searches and that Samarco should transfer funds to the government for the costs.

2. Access to information, daily and without restriction.

3. Psychological counseling with professionals chosen by the family, with cost paid by the company.

4. Serious investigation and punishment for those responsible

5. That there is some form of reparation for all the families who lost their relatives.