Women In Mining In Nigeria (WIMIN) on has urged the federal and state governments to as a matter of urgency arrest the continuous sexual exploitations and gender abuse currently ravaging the solid mineral sector of the country.
The President/Founder, Women in Mining in Nigeria, Janet Adeyemi disclosed this at two-day National Summit on Tuesday in Abuja.
Adeyemi said that only six percent of women were represented across board in the mining sector, adding that they must be protected, encouraged and mainstreamed into the man-dominated sector and not taking advantage of
Her words: “The exclusion of women in critical decision making, displacement, loss of lives, lack of financial support, emotional trauma and environment degradation are the most challenging factors hindering women growth and contribution to nation’s economy through the sector.”
She revealed that in a mining community in Ekiti State, eight out of every 10 girls, between the ages of 13 and 16′ in the Ire Ekiti community are pregnant.
Adeyemi noted:
“Just about last year, we successfully conducted our program on mainstreaming gender and gender justice in solid mineral sector in Nigeria and building on the tremendous success of that program, we made a commitment to embark on a second phase to further consolidate our efforts.
“I delighted to announce that we have successfully completed the second phase of the program, and this summit officially marks the culmination of our year long endeavor.”
“We conducted in-depth research on the levels of gender abuse and child abuse in the solid minerals sectors of Bauchi, Kogi and Ekiti States. Our research revealed numerous cases of abuse in the sector that urgently need to be unveiled and addressed.”
Adeyemi said in Bauchi, private stakeholders raised an alarm regarding the increasing incidents of rape at mining sites, saying though, government officials acknowledged these issues and also expressed their commitment to addressing this menace.
She added: “In Ekiti State, we encountered an orgainsed mining sector consisting of five interdependent subsector. The participation of women in the mining sector in Ekiti is high, and overall, the solid minerals sectors in the state is accommodating to women.
“However, we observed gaps concerning child sexual exploitation in Ekiti State. Despite free education, many female children in Ire-Ekiti, a mining host community, are discouraged from attending school due to extreme poverty.
“Parents in Ire-Ekiti rely on their young daughters for financial support, and some parents even pressure their teenage daughters to engage in relationships with men for money. As a result, 8 out of every 10 girls in Ire-Ekiti are pregnant, and these girls are between the ages of 13 and 16.”
Adeyemi revealed that they were confronted with disturbing reports of gender rights violations, torture of women, and children labour in the solid minerals sector in Kogi state.