Th e S t r u g g l e f o r R i g h t s a n d J us t i ce
39
The international campaign for justice in Bhopal
Survivors of the Bhopal gas leak worked together to
bring attention to their suffering and to make the
company take responsibility. They organized
hunger strikes, and refused to eat until they were
heard. They marched with no food or water for
750 kilometers (466 miles) to the state
capital. They also marched to
the national capital to demand
justice. Women set up a tent in
front of the office of the state’s
chief minister. They camped out
there for 3 months. Every day
from dawn to dusk they chanted
their demands.
Never
again!
Several years after the disaster,
a court ordered Union Carbide to pay
$470 million to the Indian government. This was an important victory, but it
was not enough. Most of that money never reached the survivors.
Soon after, Union Carbide was sold to another multinational corporation
called Dow Chemical. Dow Chemical also refused to take responsibility or to
help the affected people get treatment. Neither the government of India, where
the disaster happened, nor the government of the United States, where both
corporations are based, is willing to bring to justice the top corporate officials
responsible for the disaster.
The survivors organized an international campaign to continue their
struggle for justice. They built support among students, environmental groups,
and human rights organizations. With support from people all over the world,
the Bhopal survivors delivered their demands for justice to the headquarters
of Union Carbide and Dow Chemical Company and the US and Indian
governments. The survivors inspired others to go on hunger strikes and to
take actions to bring attention to their suffering. And through it all, they
have supported their families, organized their own health care (see page 345),
supported victims of other toxic disasters, and survived.
The rallying cry of the campaign for justice in Bhopal is “Bhopal, never
again!” Their goal is to prevent similar environmental disasters in the future.
By making their struggle international, they have taught people around the
world important lessons about the long-term effects of toxic exposure. The
Bhopal survivors have shown industrial accidents can happen at any time, and
that the poor are always more affected by them than anyone else. Their struggle
for rights and justice has become a model for community organizers everywhere.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012