"Study of Potential Human Rights Violations, Environmental Impacts and Fallouts of Graphite Mining: Case of the Mining Company Gold Sand and its Partners in the Ambahita Commune, Bekily District, Androy Region" Transparency International Initiative Madagascar, April 2025

In September 2020, the Labour Court in Toliara was approached by members of the affected local community, who were seeking damages for wrongful dismissal and non-payment of compensation. However, the case was closed following a withdrawal under pressure.

18 formal commitments […] no action has been fully achieved, while 3 have been partially implemented. The remaining 15 remained unaccomplished […] non-achievement rate of 83.3%.

[…] 70.71% denounce a clear preference given to migrant workers, especially for executive positions and technical roles.

85.23% of respondents believe that the required competency criteria do not correspond to local realities. […] 90.12% […] point to the total lack of training or support for better professional integration.

[…] slaughter of dogs in a river considered sacred, mentioned by 85% of households […] the attack on sacred sites, reported by 80% of respondents, concerns sacred spaces such as tombs and ancestral trees.

More than half of them have lost access to their land […] seven PAPs stated they had neither the opportunity to negotiate nor give free and informed consent […] two reported promises of compensation… which have never been honoured.

85% of households stated that public consultations were insufficient […] 95% pointed out a lack of clear and transparent communication […] 95% affirmed the total absence of mechanisms allowing communities to ask questions, negotiate compensation, or assert their rights.

90.24% […] stated that women are systematically excluded from technical and higher-paying positions […] 95% […] confirmed that 75.45% of employed women are confined to precarious jobs such as cook assistants, cleaners or logistical assistants […].

98.4% of households […] declare their inability to assert their rights […] 92.4% […] express strong fear of retaliation […] serious incidents, including […] land grabbing […] alleged case of sexual assault, […] desecration of sacred river […] were settled amicably, often under pressure […].

[…] 90% of households and 100% of employees surveyed report a total lack of working conditions that meet legal standards. First, no written employment contract […] no safety measures […] no form of social protection.

65.2% of households and 91.12% of employees […] confirm the existence of a case of sexual touching […]. Repeated cases of sexual blackmail, including in the form of ‘sex for job’ [...] 70.23% of employees report offensive behaviour […] including verbal abuse […] threats of dismissal.

Out of […] 214 households surveyed, 13 reported hosting a person with a disability […] only one job application… was rejected without justification… 90% of households feel that the company does not offer any inclusive employment opportunities.

a majority of responses taking air pollution […] ranging from moderate to high […] mainly explained by crushing activities, […] circulation of machinery and absence of dust removal devices […].

[…] moderate to strong soil degradation […] related to clearing activities, earthworks and repeated passage of heavy machinery […] low capacity of the soil to recover […].

[…] pollution considered moderate but worrying, particularly during construction […] three sites present persistent risks of water quality degradation.

moderate, but not negligible, deforestation […]