The Hindu : National : Women in mining resolve to fight gender injustice

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 11, 2004

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National

Women in mining resolve to fight gender injustice

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, OCT. 10. The nine-day international conference on women in mining concluded on Saturday with the declaration that a global campaign will be launched against gender bias and a commitment to fight for women's right to information and involvement in decision-making at all levels.

The conference, organised jointly by `Samata' and `mines, minerals and People' (mmP) — a network of non-government organisations — at Punnami beach resort, saw participants from 21 countries expressing concern at gender injustice. The consensus was on drumming up support at the local, national and international fora to safeguard their rights.

The delegates demanded State support for improving their skills, technology and market linkages. They wanted gender-sensitive public policies relevant to mining nationally and internationally.

`Fight will continue'

Briefing reporters on the resolutions, the conference convener, K. Bhanumathi, and the director of Training and Research (Ghana), Hannah Owussu Korraneng, said on Sunday that they would continue their fight against the present processes of trade liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation of natural and mineral resources pushed by institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and regional development banks.

``We challenge the myth of sustainable mining being promoted by trans-national corporations and national governments,'' the declaration stated.

The conference, held for the first time in India, observed that mining had a serious negative impact on women's lives, their social and cultural status, physical and sexual rights, ecological spaces, access to and control of natural resources, legal and customary rights and traditional knowledge systems.

Gender insensitive

The declaration christened `Defending our lives, demanding our rights,' stated that ``mining is masculine, gender insensitive and unjust and does not provide a level-playing field between women and communities or women workers with the mining industry and global, national and local governments.''

It asked governments and the mining industry to make the consent of indigenous tribal people a prerequisite for undertaking any mining project.

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