Earthworm Foundation has been engaged by Socfin to investigate allegations that have been raised against them by NGOs and international media related to their operations in Liberia, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Cambodia.
Socfin has pledged to develop an action plan to credibly respond to any allegations that are supported by evidence.
The work that Earthworm Foundation will undertake to investigate the allegations will be split into two main phases:
Phase 1, March to June 2023: Investigations will focus on grievances raised against Salala Rubber Corporation (SRC) in Liberia and Socapalm in Cameroon. The focus of the investigations will be grievances mentioned in the Mongabay article published on 17 January 2023 and also raised by the International Alliance of local communities of Socfin plantations and ReAct Transnational in November 2022. Earthworm will seek to interview and engage directly with the civil society members raising the concerns and will be visiting the field to view the evidence and interview community members. A summarised version of the findings will be made public, along with an action plan on behalf of Socfin to address any allegations found to be credible.
Phase 2, July to Dec 2023: Additional investigations into the grievances raised regarding Socfin operations in Cambodia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon will be scheduled in Phase 2.
For all investigations carried out, Earthworm Foundation will contact those raising the grievances to understand the specific concerns and review any supporting evidence. Findings and Socfin's action plan to address grievances found to be credible will be released following the investigations.
For more information, contact: socfin.investigation@earthworm.org
