Last updated March 2023

The small Peruvian town of La Oroya is one of the most polluted places in the world. A massive metal-smelting facility currently run by the U.S.-based Doe Run Company has exposed the community to toxic contaminants linked to cancer, damage to vital organs, infertility, and irreversible harm to respiratory systems. Ninety-nine percent of the town’s children have heavy metals in their blood at levels substantially higher than the guidelines established by the World Health Organization. The Peruvian government’s failure to regulate the facility led the community to seek justice with the Inter-American Human Rights System.

In October and November 2022, the University Network for Human Rights, in collaboration with Yale Law School’s Lowenstein Human Rights Project and Columbia Law School students, provided support in the drafting of two amicus briefs to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of The Community of La Oroya v. Peru. In one of the briefs, international experts, including former United Nations mandate holders and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights officials, drew on international law and best practices to urge the Inter-American Court to adjudicate the case in accordance with global standards on the right to a healthy environment. In the other amicus brief, civil society organizations highlighted the need for urgent action by the Inter-American Court to protect the community of La Oroya, as well as the many communities facing similar rights violations throughout the Americas.