Gender-Based Violence Impact in Mining (2019)

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Client

GIZ

Project Location

Project Duration

1 year

Total Value

N/A

Value of Montrose Component

£13,000

Situation

  • Estimates suggest that women occupy only 10% of jobs in the large-scale mining sector and even fewer work directly in the mines.
  • Women are thought to represent about 30 per cent of the artisanal and small-scale mining workforce of around 40 million people.
  • Women face many risks and challenges in the sector due to their gender.
  • Domestic and childcare responsibilities, a lack of formalised access to land and resources and lower education levels all conspire to prevent women from fulfilling their potential in the extractive sector.
  • Despite international attention, gender-based violence (GBV) persists and could increase in the near future due to structural, social and cultural barriers, and perceptions in society.
  • Poverty continues to exist and affect families. In cases where they cannot afford school fees, women and girls might be forced to pay with sex for their education.
  • The study aims to address and deal with those gender-based challenges for girls and women within the extractive sector

Solution

  • Montrose was contracted by GIZ to carry out a study on GBV in the extractive sector in Africa.
  • The study included incidents of GBV occurring among staff in office settings, at large-scale mining sites, and between company workers.
  • Data was collected on GBV incidents perpetrated by mining company staff towards members of surrounding communities.
  • It also highlighted incidents of GBV perpetrated towards men, and success stories of GBV being combatted by companies, governments, NGOs, and within mining communities.

Impact

  • The study researched gender-based violence in the extractive sector and provide recommendations to address GBV across Africa.
  • The products of the study will serve as a directory for identifying and addressing gender-based violence on women and girls in the extractive sector.
  • The study identified gender-based challenges and incidents of violence against girls and women in the extractive sector, to help the industry address and avoid them from the beginning.