The Human Rights Law Centre published a report Wednesday accusing mining giant Rio Tinto of human rights violations on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. The mine was abandoned by Rio Tinto in 2016 without any effort to assist in the cleanup or closure of the mine.

The open mine, which is located in the middle of the island, has caused the pollution of water downstream, which has affected many villages. The Kawerong and Jaba rivers have been highly polluted, which has taken away access to clean water for the residents. This has caused residents to rely on rainwater, which does not fall during the dry season. They have also been forced to bathe in dirty polluted water. In recent years, they have even been forced to mine for gold in the polluted waters in an attempt to provide for their families since they have been displaced.

In addition, the researchers found that the polluted water has caused many accidents where villagers have been swept away and drowned. In recent years, the infrastructure has also begun to break down, causing many more problems.

The report concludes that unless Rio Tinto steps up to fix the problems they left behind they will remain in violation of human rights and environmental obligations.