- Rare in industrial mines because of measures taken to avoid them
- Common in artisanal mines: insults, degrading remarks, delayed wages, pornography, paid sex, etc.
- The main cause; drug use
In its study report on the diagnosis of violence and gender in mining in Burkina Faso, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries, through the National Agency for the Supervision of Artisanal and Semi-Mechanised Mining (ANEEMAS), revealed the extent of gender-based violence in mining. Released on 19 October 2022, this report outlines the manifestations and measures taken to address the phenomenon.
The ANEEMAS report reveals that gender-based violence (GBV) is a reality in most of the sites visited. Its manifestations are common and perennial.
“Violence on mining sites is essentially gender-based. It is mainly physical, verbal, economic, sexual and psychological (…). Referring to their gender, girls are essentially victims of sexual, verbal and economic violence. On the other hand, boys experience more physical violence,” the report reveals.
In the artisanal mines, the most frequently cited forms of violence were insults and degrading remarks (48.2%), delays in the payment of wages (28.4%), exposure to pornographic videos and photos (16.2%) and paid sex (13.2%).
GBV is rare in semi-mechanised mines. It is manifested through verbal violence (threats) and physical violence (rape, assault and injuries).
The report states that the main perpetrators of this violence are men, consisting of gold miners, Kolgweogo (self-defence group), owners of gold pits, etc. It also reveals that the perpetrators are sometimes women.
The cause of GBV is mainly due to drug use. In addition, there are disputes over control of holes and theft.
In industrial mines, GBV is rare because measures are taken to prevent it. However, the forms of GBV that are observed are verbal violence. The perpetrators are miners, managers and supervisors. The victims are young miners, new recruits and women.
This worrying context has led the Ministry of Mines to invest in the promotion of women’s rights in mining. This is the case of the three-year action plan 2023-2025 unveiled in the report. The action plan foresees, among other things, to “strengthen the capacities of the directors and agents of the Ministry of Mines and Quarries on gender and the protection of children’s rights”, to build health structures in the villages where artisanal and semi-mechanized mining sites are located and to sensitize the different stakeholders against GBV.
As a reminder, Burkina Faso has ratified most of the international conventions concerning protection against gender-based violence. This obliges the Burkinabe state to take into account the issue of gender-based violence in its general policy.
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