How to bridge gender gap in mining

Dar es Salaam. Cultural beliefs, economic disparities, family responsibilities, gender roles and decision-making are among the barriers to bridging the gender gap in the extractive sector for sustainable development.

The restrictions were outlined recently by stakeholders during a breakfast debate organised by Policy Forum dubbed Empowering Women in the Extractive industries: Bridging the Gender Gap for Sustainable Development.

Foundation for Artisanal Small Minors (ASM) Development (Fadev) executive secretary Theonestina Mwasha said despite efforts made to ensure the sector increases its contribution to the country’s economy, male dominance remains an issue of concern in bridging the gender gap.

“In Tanzania, where mining is a significant economic activity, the participation of women is highly restricted by social, cultural, and structural barriers,” she said.

Ms Mwasha said some of the cultural beliefs are men’s and women’s beliefs, witchcraft, and ritual beliefs.

Furthermore, she said that financially, women are deprived of the financial capacity to invest in the sector, poor financial management, low wages, and unfavourable working conditions.

“The women also face gender-based violence in the form of sexual exploitation, discrimination, and verbal abuse,” said Ms Mwasha.

She said the women were also facing challenges in obtaining mining land and licenses; inadequate support to improve skills and protection of the environment; limited access to tools and technology; and difficulty in accessing markets.

The government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society organizations should enhance their understanding of artisanal miners in the areas of financial management, according to Ms Mwasha.

“They should be supported through the provision of capital, promote fair compensation and improved working conditions, encourage income diversification, and provide leadership training to women working in the sector,” she suggested.

“They should be taught how to become aware of harmful cultural beliefs and promote positive cultural practices, as well as support and preserve positive cultural beliefs,” added Ms Mwasha.

Tanzania Women Miners Association (Tawoma) secretary-general Salma Kundi said the association has played an important role in advocating for the extension of mineral extraction licenses from five to seven years.

She said struggles have enabled the women to be allowed to go down the mines, provided safety issues are taken into consideration.

She suggested that women should be assisted with education, markets, capital, and technology for them to benefit from mineral resources and therefore attain the gender equality target.

Furthermore, Ms Kundi said the association’s efforts have managed to reach 360 women in the Tanga and Morogoro regions who participate in the gemstone subsector by accessing markets for the produce.

“Challenges related to genetic differences between males and women are very evident that capacity building is required in the areas of education, market, capital, and technology,” she said, who was the event discussant.

The association, she said, recommends that the government and stakeholders increase awareness campaigns that would increase their engagement in mining activities.

Another discussant, the Hakirasilimali advocacy and engagement officer, Mr Lucy Linus, said three groups of women are adversely affected in the extractive industry.

She named the group as that of artisanal small miners (ASM), both licensed and non-licensed, as well as service providers in mining, processing, and refining.

The second group, according to her, are the women formally employed in large-scale mines, hinting that women’s health and safety, especially breastfeeding mothers, pose huge threats to extending the effects to their children.

“They face challenges of conning and rape, as most incidents of gender-based violence occur in the mines,” said Ms Linus.

“In large-scale mines, very few women are placed in the managerial positions that influence decision-making in the organizations,” she said.

Furthermore, she said the last group comprises women living around the mines; most of the time, they are not directly involved in the mining activities, but they are in some way or another affected by mining operations.

For instance, she said an investor looking to invest in the sector would undergo the land acquisition process; however, Tanzanian laws provide compensation mandates to men while women have been denied ownership rights.

“There is a need for undertaking livelihood restoration processes to avoid the compensation from benefiting the male alone. The livelihood restoration program will benefit the whole household, instead of providing compensation to men who are the head of the household,” she said.

“We are also supposed to do policy reform in the local content because the present local content regulations target numbers, but it becomes difficult for the Mining Commission to include gender issues in their targets,” she added.

She said, for example, that Geita Gold Mines (GGM) has put a large number of Tanzanians in the managerial team as a target, but the challenge remains the small number of women on the list.

Ms Linus urged financial institutions in the country to increase loan disbursements to women engaged in ASM to enable them to close the capital gap.