Photo: Mrs Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs.
A group, Women in Mining in Nigeria (WINIM), on Sunday, called for the Federal Government’s intervention on alleged abuse against women in mining sites and host communities in the country, describing it as prevalent.
Founder and National President of WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi, made the call in Lokoja at a training on Capacity Building for Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in Kogi.
She noted that women were constantly abused, misused, over-laboured, underpaid, short-changed and even raped by male labourers and staffers of mining industries.
Adeyemi, an engineer, who was represented by the Programme Coordinator, WIMIN, Ms Deloraine Dennis, said the opportunities for women in mining sector were too numerous, such as operators, engineers, academia and quarry fields, among others.
”We need the intervention of government in the area of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), because women have become prey to men who occupy decision- making levels at the mining industry.
”Also, most women do not have equipment to function effectively in the mining industry. We need to protect these women and train them to build their capacity,” she said.
Adeyemi claimed that the rate of molestation and assault of women in the mining sector was alarming, adding: ”research has shown that 73 per cent of assaults against women are verbal.”
She said that though laws had been put in place, what remained was how to implement the laws and address the human rights violation so as to encourage women in the mining industry.
”The three-day training programme is all about protecting the rights of women in the mining sector, to tackle the issue of awareness through sensitisation.
”We want the participants to know environmental best practices, to ensure a safe mining environment.
”We want them to be trained on financial literacy, on how to build their finances in the mining industry in terms of land, equipment and manpower, which are capital intensive.
”So, this training will impact the women with the required knowledge they need to advance in the solid minerals sector,” she said.
WINIM is a non-profit and non-political organisation focusing on women advancement by empowering them to engage in safe and sustainable mining practices in Nigeria.
It also ensures that gender and other human rights issues affecting women and children are properly addressed.
In her remarks, Kogi State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajia Fatima Buba, commended the organisers for their support in building the capacity of women in the mining sector in the state.
Buba, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Women Affairs in the ministry, Mrs Roseline Ozovche, assured of the ministry’s readiness to intervene in any gender-based issue affecting women and children in the state.
On his part, Samson Vatong, Deputy Commandant and Head of Mines/Solid Minerals, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kogi command, assured WIMIN of the command’s continuous support in the mining activities of its members.
Also, the State Coordinator of WIMIN, Mrs Janet Ahiaba, said that the training would bring improvement in the various duties and roles in the mining operations.
A participant, Mrs Njideka Areh, said that the training had so far exposed them to many things they needed to know about mining industry, especially the human rights aspect.
