Mining Companies’ Social Responsibilities toward Communities: A Matter of Social Justice

This presentation focuses on the topic of social justice. It aims at addressing the consequences of numerous actions that mining companies have initiated as they exploit the physical environment where communities live. These companies bear a social responsibility they must share with local governments to change and improve the devastating living conditions neighboring communities are exposed to. Consequences of mining pollution include death, breathing problems, displacement of populations, environmental degradation, and rural exodus. Usually, populations first raise their voices to advocate for better conditions. Then, they initiate and engage in a rebellion process particularly when they face inaction from the authorities. These communities constantly campaign to draw governments’ attention to the lasting threats of the consequences of these mining companies’ actions which include land grab that lead to evictions, and population displacement followed by residents’ resistance to resettlement programs.Facing these tumultuous circumstances, mining companies may put in place programs and intervention plans to address emergencies and disasters that could occur in their immediate environment. Unfortunately, very often, there is no follow up strategies for materializing those plans even though they may be well designed and agreed upon by all parties involved in the process. Authorities from local and national governments, companies’ leaders as well as residents may have engaged in discussions toward productive agreed-upon outcome, but usually, the ultimate consequence is populations’ deception that requires interventions from well-trained specialists such as sociologists and social workers. This study aims at advocating for social workers’ involvement in designing and implementing social justice programs providing them with opportunities to intervene according to their code of ethics (NASW, 2024), and “engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice” (CSWE, 2022). In effect, the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) as well as the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE) have set the conditions for these professionals’ involvement in these programs. Further, the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) has been promoting its members’ actions aiming at developing social justice initiatives around the world.In effect, the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) understood the necessary involvement of social workers in programs aiming at establishing and developing social justice programs.  For many years, this organization has provided to its members the opportunity to discuss social justice issues at its annual symposium. This was the case in Chapel Hill (2015), where members focused on “Creating Space for All Voices;” and in South Africa, where they aimed at “Bridging the Divide: Group Work for Social Justice” (2018). Even when the organization was compelled to organize virtual symposia due to the Covid pandemic, it adopted themes such as “Group Work in a Challenging World” (2021), and in 2022, “From Separation to Social Solidarity.” This year in Madrid, the symposium will focus on “Breaking Barriers: Groupwork and Social Justice.”These efforts align with the goals of both the NASW and the CSWE as both organizations promote social workers’ education and involvement with social justice programs. Indeed, one of the ethical principles of the NASW recommends that social workers challenge social injustice as they “pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people” (NASW, 2024). The CSWE, in its Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), requires that social workers be competent to “Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice” and consequently should “engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice” (EPAS, 2022, EP. 2.a).Materializing these organizations’ efforts to meet communities’ expectations requires that local and national entities collaborate with international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) which have already set several goals to establishing conditions that advance social justice around the world. In fact, the UN has already adopted the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to address energy production and its impacts on the environment and the conditions experienced by communities.This study will demonstrate social workers’ preparedness in working with mining companies as well as local communities to address threats or actual disasters to establish social justice conditions. They may put in place emergency response policies and programs, and anticipatory and preventive measures to address companies’ losses of equipment, and resources or capital, and at the same time protect communities from the various consequences of companies’ actions within the immediate community environment. ObjectivesAfter attending this presentation, symposium participants will be able to: * understand the need for a social service department within mining companies. * assess the value of a social service department within mining companies. * advocate for requiring a social service department within each mining company’s organizational structure. * Reference Abdeen, F.N, Fernando. T., Kulatunga, U., Hettige, S., & Arjuna Ranasinghe, K.D. 2021. Challenges in multi-agency collaboration in disaster management: A Sri Lankan perspective. Reduction, 62, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102399 Retrieved from:             https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420921003605?via%3Dihub Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). (2022). Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards for Baccalaureate and Master's Social Work Programs. Retrieved from:             https://www.cswe.org/getmedia/bb5d8afe-7680-42dc-a332-a6e6103f4998/2022-EPAS.pdf   National Association for Social Workers (NASW). (2024). Code of Ethics. NASW Press Retrieved from: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English   United Nations Development Program (UNDP). (2015). Sustainable Development Goals: What are the Sustainable Development Goals? Retrieved from:               https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals