The 2023 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector report has advocated for more gender-responsive legislation to safeguard women’s rights in mining for a more sustainable sector.
With mining professionals and executives from all over the world gathered for the 30th Mining Indaba held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), this week, a sector report has pointed towards prevailing gender inequalities that need to be addressed for the growth of the sector.
Launched at the state of the annual Mining Indaba conference held under the theme ‘Embracing the power of positive disruption: A bold new future for African mining’, the World Bank report painted a dismal picture of how despite women accounting for one-third of the artisanal and small-scale mining workforce, they continued to face formidable challenges.
“Despite being part of the workforce that supplies the essential minerals, gender discrimination as enshrined in mining laws continue to disregard the health, safety, social protection, and effectively limit the rights and economic opportunities of women artisanal and small-scale miners,” the report found.
The findings derived after reviewing the mining laws in 21 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America, with 1 900 participants, suggested a number of legislative mechanisms that should be looked into to ensure the sector broadened and full participation.
This includes improving mining codes, which it explained often lacked the provisions to enhance women's participation, but most importantly changing discriminatory property laws and land tenure agreements that hindered women's ability to own land and access mineral resources for artisanal and small-scale mining.
It further suggested that role players also had to address poor working conditions, sanitation, and violence, as well as domestic work, which disproportionately impacted women’s earning potential, relegating them to low-paying roles and 90 times more at risk of death than men.
“Women's health, working conditions, and safety have received scant attention due to the perception of the mining industry as male-dominated. It’s critical to create an environment in which women artisanal and small-scale miners can be heard and enjoy their rights without discrimination,” said World Bank Senior Mining Specialist and co-author, Rachel Perks.
Perks added: “Women’s empowerment and equal participation in mining are the right thing to do and will pave the way for a more just future and prosperous communities.”
The Star