Hannah Owusu Koranteng
The Wassa Association of Communities
Affected by Mining (WACAM), a civil society group, has called for a review of
the current mining law to include provisions that empower women in the sector.
According to the association, the
current laws lack provisions that specifically target the empowerment of women
who dominate in the mining value chain.
The group thus called for the
integration of gender equity in mining laws to ensure women have due rights and
benefits in the sector while having equal opportunity to participate in
decision-making.
The Executive Director of WACAM, Hannah
Owusu Koranteng, in her opening remarks, said a number of research conducted by
the association and other bodies had shown that only three per cent of women in
the mining sector receive compensation.
She said it was important for all
stakeholders to support the review of the mining laws and make them gender
sensitive.
“Women are human beings and need to have
rights in the mining sector since they are part of the vulnerable groups that
bear the brunt of mining activities,” she said.
The Executive Director of Centre of
Public Interest Law, Augustine Niber, observed that the current laws had failed
to protect women in the mining sector.
“The Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act
703) and all the regulations enacted for implementation are gender neutral and
did take the issue of women particularly into contemplation. Indeed, there is
no mention of the word “gender” or “woman” anywhere in Act 703,” he stated.
He, therefore, suggested the need for
the formulation of policies and the amendment of existing laws and regulations
to address women’s access, control and ownership of extractive resources,
access to essential services, compensation rights, productive employment and
decent work, participation in decision-making, among others.
Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, Dean for School
of Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, said the sexually
exploitative nature of the male dominated sector also exposed women in most
mining communities to prostitution, single parenting, teenage pregnancy,
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), drug abuse, among other social vices.
He reiterated the need to protect women’s right in the mining sector as they tend to suffer most from health and environmental issues borne out of mining activities.
By Issah Mohammed
