Lawyers Say Barrick Thwarts Access to Justice for Victims of Violence (what about women)

Thursday, November 27, 2014

(Ottawa) New evidence is emerging that Barrick Gold’s dealings with victims of violence by mine security and police at mine sites in Papua New Guinea and in Tanzania is primarily designed to protect the company from legal action, rather than to provide fair remedy for women who have been raped and men who have been hurt or killed by mine security.

Lawyers who represent victims of violence at the Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and at the North Mara mine in Tanzania are speaking out.

On Friday, U.S.-based EarthRights International released documents that reveal how the compensation process Barrick has put in place at the Porgera mine to deal with victims of rape by the company’s mine’s security trades inadequate benefit packages for a promise never to sue Barrick. Documents reveal that women who reject the packages or ask for other forms of remedy are being turned away by the program.

“Some of the women felt they had no choice but to accept the benefits offered,” said Marco Simons, Legal Director of EarthRights International (ERI), which represented dozens of women in the process. “One of our clients told us how she was brutally beaten, cut with a knife and raped by more than 10 Barrick guards, left unable to have children, and then abandoned by her husband and ostracized by her community. She was angered by what the Remedial Framework offered. But she felt she could not reject the benefits because she needed medical treatment; her injuries still made it painful for her to walk.”

“Some of our clients did, however, refuse the benefits,” added Simons. “As far as we know, the only women who refused to sign Barrick’s legal waiver were those represented by ERI – in other words, those who thought they might have other options.”

In a visit to Ottawa on November 6, 2014, Shanta Martin, a partner at UK-based law firm Leigh Day, spoke out about the firm’s Tanzanian clients who are pursuing claims against African Barrick Gold (now called Acacia Mining) and its Tanzanian subsidiary in the High Court of England and Wales for deaths and injuries they claim were a result of the excessive use of force by mine security and police, including the frequent use of live ammunition. 

In its press release Martin said, “Impoverished people from remote rural villages who sue multinational companies often face incredible obstacles to having their claims heard by an independent arbiter,” said 

Martin. “Our clients naturally expect companies that say they are transparent and supportive of human rights to live up to those claims.” 

As in Papua New Guinea, Barrick’s North Mara mine in Tanzania has implemented a compensation process to deal with victims of excessive violence by mine security. And as in PNG, victims of violence have to sign away their right to sue the company in return for compensation, however inadequate. MiningWatch Canada and UK-based Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) conducted a human rights assessment at the North Mara mine in July and August and found that the mine’s compensation program is not transparent, not independent of the company, that the compensation being offered is neither appropriate nor reflective of the deaths and serious harm that victims have suffered, and that it is not what the victims themselves said they need to overcome the harm. 

MiningWatch and RAID also found that clients of Leigh Day were being targeted by North Mara mine personnel to persuade them to drop their law suit in return for this inadequate compensation. 

In its release, Leigh Day confirmed that many of their clients stated they had been specifically targeted to forgo their legal claims and sign up to the mine’s grievance mechanism.

“The PNG and Tanzanian cases clearly demonstrate an abuse of so-called project level grievance mechanisms to ensure legal immunity for Barrick at a high cost to the victims of violence,” says Catherine Coumans of MiningWatch Canada. “It is questionable whether company-led project-level  grievance mechanisms should even be dealing with criminal acts by mine security, but if they do they should absolutely not result in legal waivers that create barriers to access to judicial remedy.”

Both the Government of Canada and the Mining Association of Canada are currently drafting guidance for the use of project-level non-judicial grievance mechanisms. The issue is also front and centre at the upcoming UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva in December.

TAWOMA holds workshop prior the Annual General Meeting

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The guest of honor,the deputy mineral commissioner officiating the meeting

Women miners from across Tanzania Participated in the workshop prior the Annual general meeting

Meeting participants

The guest of honor watching women miners works. Here, he is watching how the mineral cutting machine works. he promised to support women miners to buy an advanced machine so that it boosts their livelihood

Copper Mining: A woman miner showing the samples of copper rocks which she mines. She poses the challenge of lack copper processing plant in Tanzania which forces them to sell it raw at very low price

Shamsa,  a woman miner showing how the mineral cutting machine works

Guest of honor watching the women miners works

Mrs Eunice Negele, a current chaiperson of TAWOMA inviting the guest of honor to officiate the meeting

Women in Mining Tanzania: Pili (Mjomba Hussein) An example of women S...

Women in Mining Tanzania: Pili (Mjomba Hussein) A typical example of women S...: Pili, popularly known as "Mjomba Hussein" (Uncle Hussein) is a Tanzanite Miner in Mererani, Northern Tanzania. Pili is in her mid...

The three depressing stereotypes women in mining face!

Women in Mining communities face gender stereotypes, the packaging comes in different forms, whether as a joke, serious statements, practices towards them and so on. It does not matter how it is packaged, but stereotype is a stereotype, a worse form of gender based violence, acknowledged and accepted by communities. Here are the three very depressing and annoying kind of stereotypes that whether known as violence against women and violation of their basic human rights, they are degrading and dehumanize women work and living in mining areas in a way that not everybody can see how it affect them now.

1. You are a Woman, you can not Work Underground!

Yes, mining is a tough job! It requires muscles and strength. And yes, working underground can be dangerous and intimidating. But lets get the facts straight here! What makes the job done!... The hands! And what is the difference between men and Women..., the biological make ups, women having the women parts and men having the men parts, and their biological functions. It does not require the men parts to do mining and women parts not... which i mean to say, biological make up of women or men do not have anything whatsoever with activities they do, apart from the biological functions of their bodies - Reproduction.

Women should be left to decide what part of the mining activities they would like to undertake. Whether going underground, or doing administrative jobs or providing services, should be entirely free of their choices and will. This kind of statement is a patriarchal lie, created to scare women off the mining chain and benefit few.

2. Women Should Never go near Gold Mining Pits while on their Menstruation Period, because Gold Will Disappear.

What? Seriously? How in hell Women menstruation get in Gold geomorphology?  It raises not only eye brows but the whole face! A lot of questions on this as this patriarchal lie is designed to exclude women from understanding the quantity and value of the minerals mined from the land. This statement/belief is designed to deepen the patriarchal lies that women should be ashamed of their bodies and their state of healthy monthly period is a bad luck. 

Miners can be superstitious, using vodoo and Juju in their activities as they lack geological information and support from state to undertake professional mining. As a result, women bear the burden of try and error in ASM communities.

3. Women living and Working in Mining areas are Prostitutes.

The involvement of women in mining is mostly driven by poverty and mining is seem as a means of survival. In most cases, women in these areas are single and independent mothers, who came to mining areas as a result of either bad divorce, separation, early marriages or abandonment by their partners although, some of them are there as a matter of choice and mining is a means of economic activity which puts food on the table and children to school and roof over their head.. The first are the result of  patriarchy system which devalue women on the basis of what they do.

I knowledge that there are sex commercial workers in the mining communities. But before pointing fingers, lets see the reason why they are there( Forget about the simple answers like, its their attitude, they are greed etc). Think about the system, the families they are coming from, economic set up on this country, exclusion from economic opportunities, etc. 

You should also know that and sometime, sex work  comes as a form of resistance to injustices.

Share any other kind of stereotypes you know

Leaked Statoil addendum demonstrates how confidentiality intensifies controversy: Statement by Civil Society Organizations

Following the recent significant discovery of natural gas in Tanzania, the country has emerged as a potential large gas producer in East Africa, generating substantial interest from citizens, civil society and politicians regarding the prospects for the resource to propel the nation’s economic development. The government, to its credit, has embarked on a series of processes to develop policy and legal frameworks that will help govern the exploration, production, transportation and distribution of natural gas. There have been many grievances, however, that not much has been done to enhance transparency in thefiscal policies and contractual terms in extractives industry at large.

A recently leaked addendum to a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between Statoil, a Norwegian National Oil company and the government, and the outbreak of public enrage that ensued, underline the need for a systematic disclosure of all extractives contracts in Tanzania.

We, the undersigned Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have been following the debate and reactions by different actors about the subject with keen interest.  Consequently, on the 15^th day of August, 2014 deliberated virtually on various analyses with the aim of providing our insights as civil society organisations and position on the controversy surrounding the leaked Statoil addendum with national interests at the fore.

UNDERSTAND that extraction of resources involves complex decisions, tradeoffs and long-term commitments. These decisions will be more credible and less subject to abuse if citizens understand the economic rationale behind them. The bottom-line though, is that, fiscalpolicies and contractual terms should ensure that the country gets full benefit from the resource, subject to attracting the investment necessary to realize the desired benefits. The Government and investors are generally better served if there are clear rules applicable to all investors in similar circumstances. Transparency and uniform rules help ensure that operators know that treatment is non-discriminatory, reduce opportunities for corruption and may reduce demands from individual investors for special treatment.

UNDERSCORE the right to social accountability in that citizens have a fundamental right to obtain explanations and justifications from duty-bearers entrusted with the responsibility for managing their natural resources.  Conversely, duty-bearers have a duty to provide justifications regarding the decisions they make on the exploitation of these resources.

CONCERNED about inadequate information provided to the public leading to destructive and dangerous state of confusion regarding natural gas and extractive industry contracts in general.  A number of concerns surround the leaked Addendum to existing PSA between the government and Statoil poses a number of concerns:

The shallow reaction from the government and non-reaction at all from Statoil leaves ample room for speculation and suspicions. The government reaction issued through a press release by TPDC broadly purports that the terms of the said PSA are fair to the country quoting 61% government take. The statement further accuses the media for not being informed while making a grossly misleading statement that without Statoil signing PSA in 2007, the 50.5 trillion cubic feet could have not discovered, hence attributing all discoveries to Statoil! This further raises a question whether the deviation is a bonus to Statoil for that? The statement provides no information about the underlying economic rationale and assumptions applied to justify neither deviation from Model Addendum to PSA nor the actual terms of the signed PSA.

The conspicuous silence by Statoil on the matter that threatens not only its corporate reputation and integrity but also that of the home country (Norway) as champion of transparency in extractive industry.

The continued erosion of public confidence of the way extractive sector is managed drawing devastating experience from mining sector. If the public is to have confidence that the government agreement with Statoil was sound based on the information they had when signing the addendum, all relevant information should be disclosed. Continuing secrecy on this matter that is now firmly being debated in public exacerbates citizens’ mistrust of those entrusted with management of the resource.  A recent analysis by The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) indicates that it may be premature to ascertain whether or not Tanzania obtained a good deal from the 2012 Statoil addendum given that the original Statoil PSA of 2007 and other information that informed the government’s calculations are still not publicly available.

The manner in which the addendum to the Statoil PSA was brought forth to initiate this public discourse( by leaking) undermines the integrity of government as it invites a lot of suspicion and may encourage certain quarters to surmise that the intention was to expose possible corruption in the said deal. The leak compels all stakeholders: industry, government and civil society to begin a serious conversation about the continuing secrecy of extractive industry contracts despite the obvious benefits of disclosure.

To prevent an important public issue being debated on partial, leaked information, stakeholders should begin to have an honest discussion about the legitimacy of many resistances to open contracts by government and extractive companies. 

Is it worth noting the fact that contract disclosure is already mandatory for some companies (e.g. Swala through stock exchange rules) and will be mandatory for all PSAs and MDAs entered into after 2014 if the next government upholds the commitment to do so in the current Open Government Partnership Action Plan. Why should some companies be obliged to disclose while others are not?

Civil society, parliamentarians and citizens have been calling for the parliamentary approval of extractive contracts after the drafting and negotiation by the government. Ratification of the Statoil PSA, addendum and other such agreements by parliament would have ensured that representatives of citizens had ample time to discuss the merits of the contracts before they came to effect and was another way of bringing the agreements to the public domain. It also protects industry from expropriation.  Government may be apprehensive about the Statoil PSA being made public in that it may confirm to the public that the addendum to the Statoil PSA is in fact a ‘bad deal’, arousing calls for renegotiation. This may not necessarily be permanently harmful to either the government or the company. Due to changing economic situations, it is common for extractives contracts to be renegotiated regardless of their disclosure or leak. With the social license in mind, renegotiation can enhance the durability of contracts in the long term.
·         The public discourse surrounding the addendum to the Statoil PSA reveals varied extractive contract literacy strengths and needs. Misapprehension of contents of contracts hinders efforts to promote transparency.

In light of the above, we CALL UPON the Government to:

• Make public the signed (original) Statoil PSA of 2007 for public scrutiny
• Make public all the signed (original) 25  PSAs and the new ones to be signed for fair treatment of all actors in the industry.
• Introduce parliamentary ratification of extractive contracts after negotiation and signature by the minister.
• Civil Society, media and government should place high priority in ensuring the capacity of their stakeholders to engage in the extractives debate is enhanced.

Further, we CALL UPON:

• STATOIL to explain to the public the compelling reasons (if any) for the deviation from Model PSA
• All Oil, Gas and Mining companies operating in Tanzania and the government to review all confidentiality provisions in the existing extractive resource contracts for the public interest and should refrain from endorsing such provisions in any new contract.

RECOMMEND the following to address the broader issue of extractives management:

• Enact a Freedom of Information Act.
• Establish a contracts database.
• Extractives companies should review their confidentiality policies.

  Signed:
1. Interfaith Standing Committee on Economic Justice and the Integrity of Creation
2. HakiMadini
3. Policy Forum
4. Oil and Natural Gas Environment Alliance (ONGEA)

Source  http://www.policyforum-tz.org/leaked-statoil-addendum-demonstrates-how-confidentiality-intensifies-controversy

Re Claiming Our Movement; Re shaping Women in Mining Resistance

The rights to resist: Women in Public March During World Social Forum 2012

Sometimes i wonder if we are in a right direction, if we have the same vision, if we are still focused, if we still have the strengths and determination, and the response varies according to time, place and context. Sometimes i think, yeah... we are, and sometimes i feel ghooosh, we are lost! And it is from this we gather our strengths, motivate each other, inspire  and mobilize others to join and we continue with our struggle. And in the middle of all these, we find that sometimes our movement is manipulated and our resistance is weakened. But all in all, we continue to fight and resist and move forwad. And this is because i think there is a need to re-claim our movement and reshape our resistance to reflect what we really aimed at.

First, we need to reclaim our movement because it is manipulated . It is manipulated by power, and patriarchy agendas and knowingly or unknowingly we loose focus of what we stand for and throw all the caution off the window. The current focus on development aid by funders, the government scrutiny  on Non Government Organizations working on natural resources, threats by mining companies coupled by  poverty caused by injustices and need for ready cash does, not only shift the focus of our movement but also put the capitalists agendas in our mouth and forefront  in the name of good cause! We need to look back and reclaim our movement. Redefine what does injustices look like to us and own our strategies and solutions.

Our resistance is weakening! We need to retreat and plan again on how best can we achieve the end result with our minds still sane, our bodies in one piece and  our spirit as pure as when we started. Women resist injustices in different forms, the emerging of women organizations in mining sector whether as self help groups or organized women's rights organization is a form of resistance that what is  happening is not right and women need a better and safe space. We are redefining the kind of resistance we want. This could be  women resist against mining corporations, or land grabs or environmental pollutions or bad social services and so on, the end result is justice and fairness! We are redefining our resistance in many forms and at different spaces, and it from this where women in mining play a very important role! Telling the story of injustices as they are living the reality!

A bag of seed, Tsh 100,000, a pair of Khanga.... and Voila! You are empowered!

 

Women Participating in workshop for Violence Against Women in Mining Areas, in Singida Region

I once visited this " very good responsible" government institutions and  i asked how do they work with women, the person at the desk was quick to say... "We are empowering women. Last year, we provided 200 bags of maize and Tsh 100,000 to 40 households. Women now are empowered" My eyes opened wide and i asked again, how does this benefit women in the long run, and the guy minced the words and lunch time was there so, i left with my question still in my mouth...

Women empowerment... It often come in form of services, training, cash, the give away that benefit women at one time on the particular moment! In most cases, the training for empowerment are mostly instructional, with the expert - ignorant approach, with no follow up, and very technical where women like my mother who live in Nzogonaminze village would never understand a word. In these trainings, power point presentations with highly fashioned graphs and numbers and percentages are presented to women whom their whole lives have been around their land, children, mining, food and survival. 

A friend of mine once said, "We do not empower women, every woman has a strength which, because of our culture and  tradition towards women, it is suppressed, deep down it is still their, and our work, should be working with them to rekindle that strength... To re surface that strength, and that is empowerment" And it is from this point of view where we should assess ourselves whether the trainings we conduct is empower women! Do they bring the best out of women, do the trainings we conduct give women power or take  power  away from them!  

In one of the  very resource rich community here in Tanzania, a mining company had a project on women empowerment and they were providing money to women groups to develop their business. After some time, they found out that the groups had broken down  and some of the women would not talk to each other because they thought others had a bigger share on the money the company provided. When i asked how did this benefit women, they were quick to say "That is how women are, they hate each other" ... I think you may have heard about this from somewhere else, where this kind of patriarchy approach have taken place and it ends up with the same lies.. Women hate each other!

Supporting women initiative as part of empowerment is one of the best approach, although the process and timing of support should be critical. Strengthening women capacity should be one of the step before providing resources. Working with women to develop self awareness, different capacities and independence to manage and work with resources provided as a journey to demanding their rights, question the political agendas and advance their livelihood! Empowerment is a process from within, the personal quality that every woman possess.

The bag of maize and tsh 100,000 and a pair of khanga, and two days technical training which has no connection with anything whatsoever is not a miracle for women empowerment. It is not a fair substitute for the resources taken, land polluted or rights  violated. It is a patriarchy approach which places women as receiver of services and favors rather than key players in the sector governance and management.

Tanzania: Deadly clashes continue at African Barrick gold mine

Police have killed more villagers in clashes at a controversial Tanzanian gold mine owned by a Barrick Gold Corp. subsidiary, despite the company’s pledges to reduce the violence, researchers say.

The researchers, including a law firm and two civil society groups, say they’ve received reports that as many as 10 people have been killed this year as a result of “excessive force” by police and security guards at the North Mara mine, owned by African Barrick Gold, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Barrick.

A spokesman for African Barrick confirmed to The Globe and Mail that “fatalities” have occurred in clashes at the mine site this year, but declined to estimate how many. It is up to the Tanzanian police to release the information, he said.

Tanzanian police have repeatedly refused to give any details on fatalities at the site. Dozens of villagers have been killed by police at the mine in the past several years, according to frequent reports from civil society groups. The company occasionally confirms some of the deaths, including a clash in which police killed five people in 2011.

The deadly clashes occur when villagers walk into the mine site in search of waste rock, from which small bits of gold can be extracted. Hundreds or even thousands of “intruders,” as they are known locally, can be involved.

Barrick has signed agreements with the Tanzanian police to help provide security at the site. But villagers say the police routinely accept bribes in exchange for access to the site – and then sometimes shoot villagers in disputes over access. Police, too, have been injured by villagers throwing stones or wielding crude tools.

In 2011, African Barrick announced a series of steps to reduce the violence. It allocated $14-million for the construction of a three-metre-high concrete wall for 14 kilometres around the mine site. It hired a consulting company to instruct the Tanzanian police on “international standards” of human rights. And it announced a series of community projects to improve relations with the seven villages surrounding the gold mine, with more than $15-million in company funding.

African Barrick says it managed to reduce the number of “intruders” at the site by 35 per cent in 2013, after five consecutive years of increasing numbers. But it declined to say whether fatalities have increased or decreased this year, or even whether it is able to keep track of those deaths.

The company also acknowledged that it had provided compensation “packages” to more than 60 villagers who have complained of violence by police or security guards at the North Mara site.

Leigh Day, a London-based law firm that represents many villagers who allege that they or their family members were victims of police shootings at North Mara, says at least 10 villagers were killed at the mine site this year, many of them as a result of police shootings. It provided the dates of each of the alleged fatalities, and the names of several of the victims.

African Barrick said “a number” of these deaths “correspond with incidents reported to the mine.” But it said some of the deaths may have resulted from fights among the intruders, or accidental falls in the mining pit.

Two civil society groups, Ottawa-based MiningWatch Canada and a British group known as Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), visited the mine site and surrounding villages in June and July, including hospitals and clinics around the site. They said they interviewed a doctor who had counted 10 deaths as a result of police gunshots at the site in a two-month period.

The groups also alleged that African Barrick’s staff have obtained the medical records of victims of police shootings and routinely question and photograph injured people as they await treatment. Asked about this allegation, the company did not comment.

“We are deeply concerned not only about the clear patterns we discern in the excessive use of force at the mine, but also about the intimidation, persecution, and invasion of privacy suffered by victims and their families in the aftermath of violence by mine security,” said Patricia Feeney of RAID.

African Barrick disputes the fatality toll cited by the two groups. But in many cases, victims are taken to clinics far from the mine, to avoid the police, so their deaths might be unknown to the company, the groups say.

A British all-party parliamentary group is also investigating the police shootings at North Mara, since African Barrick is headquartered in London.

The company acknowledged that one villager was killed by police in a clash in January, but did not give details of other deaths. It said the clashes were caused by “illegal, armed and violent intruders” who “systematically” steal gold-bearing rocks and other property.

The Tanzanian police are required to receive human rights training before they are assigned to any of African Barrick’s mine sites, the company said.

“It is only in very rare cases and extreme circumstances and when all alternatives have been exhausted that the police intervene in confrontation with intruders,” a company statement said. “We regret any loss of life at the mine and continually strive to improve relations with local community members to reduce instances of trespass.”

In addition to the shootings, the police have also been accused of sexual assault. Last December, African Barrick revealed that it gave cash payments and other compensation to 14 women who were sexually assaulted by police and security guards at the mine site.

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/deadly-clashes-continue-at-african-barrick-gold-mine/article20216197/#dashboard/follows/

A letter to my president -3: Our Livelihood Depend on land

Dear Mr President!

I hope this letter finds you well, and you probably read the first two. Today, i want to remind you that we depend on  land for our livelihoods.

My president, we woman from mining areas, like any other area in Tanzania,  depend on  land for our livelihoods. We depend on the land for food, firewood, medicine, grazing the animals, water, and many other uses. We also produce and sell the extras and  exchange for other important needs. For example last year i sold six bags of maize and pay school fees for my daughter who is in secondary school. I also paid medical expenses for my other son who was ill. I know other women will support me on how important our land is.

Mr President, your mining plans are taking away our land. There are tens of land deals in Tanzania which we as land owners are not aware of. These land deals are entered without our knowledge and participation. They normally come to us a surprise and in a matter of an eye blink, we loose our homes, our sources of food, water, services and our dignity.  I have lived long enough to see and understand the pattern. Tanzania was one of the  countries in the world where even the poorest could own land. When i say the poor, i do not mean the shallow meaning provided by neo-liberal ideology that poor people are the ones  living under one US dollar per day!

Mr President, the compensation provided for the land taken in most cases are not enough, the valuation processes is cumbersome and does not take into account gender needs - Women participation. Women face double challenge in these processes and your people seem to turn the deaf ear on this. 

Mr President, If you happen to want our land for your mining plans, first of all we want your people to consult us first before signing the deals. We know the law gives our village council some power on this. We do not want the raid and take as your people normally do. Please tell  them we want to fully participate in the process. Secondly, we want women participation in the process. The valuation and compensation process MUST  involve women whether single or married. (In most cases they contact only men and after compensation which is mostly in cash, men run away with the whole money). Third, we want a share of the income from the mining which take place on our land. Remember  this is the land   have used for very long time. Fourth, we want jobs from the mining projects. before its starts, make sure that you work to develop the capacities and skills of women and men from the same community to be able to participate in jobs provided by the mining projects. Fifth, if you cannot comply with the above suggestions, leave our minerals in the soil. We do not eat them after all!

The Women Voice is an Earth Voice!

"The devastating environmental and social impacts (of destructive extractivism) will continue unchecked and exacerbated by the high levels of energy and water consumption (and pollution) that accompany the processing and value addition to raw materials. These costs are mainly borne by peasant women in the region who have the development solutions we must recognise and build on," 
 
Samantha Hargreaves:   SADC People's Summit
2014- Bulawayo

visit:  www.womin.org.za for more information on women struggles on extractive industry
 

Form movements to fight post-colonial abuses' : Farai Maguwu

CIVIL society activist Farai Maguwu has called on communities to form stronger movements to challenge post-colonial governments to defend people's rights pertaining to natural resource beneficiation. Maguwu said this while addressing the 2014 Sadc People's Summit which opened in Bulawayo on Thursday and drew participants from several regional human rights groups such as La Via Campesina Africa, Rural Women's Assembly, WoMin and the People's Dialogue.

The groups are campaigning for the rights of farmers, rural women and villagers living in communities affected by mining activities to be considered ahead of mining conglomerates' interests. Maguwu blasted what he termed "the plunder of Africa's natural resources by the Global North and emerging economies like BRICS", saying communities should closely monitor mining operations and transport systems that were involved in moving stolen resources out of the region.

"We need stronger movements that challenge the power of our post-colonial governments that have lost interest in defending people's rights," Maguwu said. "It seems like our former liberators - fought not to replace the system but to rather replace the former oppressors and occupy the position of power to enrich themselves," he said.

WoMin representative Samantha Hargreaves said there was need for value addition and beneficiation of natural resources to retain greater wealth nationally. "The devastating environmental and social impacts will continue unchecked and exacerbated by the high levels of energy and water consumption (and pollution) that accompany the processing and value addition to raw materials.

"These costs are mainly borne by peasant women in the region who have the development solutions we must recognise and build on," Hargreaves said. La Via Campesina general secretary Elizabeth Mpofu said food sovereignty was being threatened by corporate organisations who grabbed land and water meant to benefit communities.

Rural Women's Assembly representative Mercia Andrews challenged regional political leaders to consult communities on the kind of investments they wanted in their areas.

Staff Writer : NEWSDAY;

Shared by: Tafadazwa Kuvheya- Zimbabwe

A letter to My President - (2) -We want a space on the table

Dear Mr President, we want a space on the table!

Mr President, My name is Zoila, i wrote you a letter few days ago. I do not know if you have received it, but i will keep on writing. This time, i want to tell you that We women from mining communities want a space on the table. We want to be part of the decision making processes particularly in the ministry of energy and minerals. Most decisions are made without women involvement and it results into bad policies and practices. And when i say  women involvement, i do not mean women from urban areas who do not understand our situation clearly, i do mean women who come from mining communities, who understand  our situation and priorities and who  represent the reality, not the assumptions. These women can only be found from areas such as Kalalani, Mirerani, Namtumbo, Londoni, Sambaru, etc etc..


Mr president, please do not misunderstand or misconstrue the meaning of Involvement or engagement. I mean we want to participate from the beginning to the end. From deciding when, where, who and how the mining projects should take place on our ancestral land, to be part of the activities, and benefit from the land we cultivate. We want to be part in deciding how the benefit from our mining resources should benefit women and we want to be part in deciding who we will work with. Tell your people that we do not want that "consultations" they call community involvement. Tell them we want women to be thoroughly involved and they choose who they would want to represent their issues and priorities on the table.


Mr President, we may not know how to read and write, but we know what we want and how we can get them. First, we want fairness, and this starts by involving women, working with women, facilitating women, understanding women's power and so on. We are not powerless, but we choose to be quite and use our power wisely. And this time we want to prove this by having a space on the table, because we want to contribute to this countries' development.

A letter to my president - Part 1

Dear Mr President,

My name is Zoila and i am a woman from mining community in Tanzania. I have tried so many times to reach you but in vain. Your security guards and ministers and secretaries have been so hard on me, they say you are busy and you do not have time to meet me. This is my hundredth letter to you and i hope you will read it and respond.

My  President, i want you to know that i voted for you  both in the first term and second term. You promised that you would give more opportunity to women... i have been waiting and waiting and waiting, i am now becoming impatient. I heard that you appointed women in various political positions, but how does this reflect on my empowerment as  a common  woman from the interior of interior, in mining community where social services, such as water hospital, school, sanitation, road,  electricity etc etc is limited.

Mr President, I want you to know that where i live, there is no respect for women. Women are being abused, raped, and mistreated by virtue of being women and most importantly be being  Women in Mining. We are being abused by both people and system, it was  last week when my niece was raped by six men and when reported to the village authority, they said that she is a women miner and she consented. She could not go to the police station as the facility is located 60 kilometers from my village. Also, the dispensary here could not treat her because they do not have doctors and drugs. Please tell your people that we want them to build us a police station with functioning gender desk. We have paid our fair share of taxes and levies and revenues and contributions. We want result. I mean we are calling for  Big result Now! Tell them that their budgets should never overlook our need for getting pregnant and having children just because they cannot build us a decent hospital with trained health personnel. Also, tell them that we want a police post on every mining community. The extent of crimes against women is very high here.

Mr President, i have been waking up at 2 am everyday to scramble for water, This is not fair. My community is a source of precious gold and other agricultural products. I do not understand why we have only one source of water for a community of more than 10,000 people. I want you to tell your people that we want water, we women are the ones who bear the brunt of poor planning and implementation of poor polices made by your government. Tell your people to that we want water, clean water for us and our families.

This is my son who went to fetch water since 2 AM  this morning and he is coming back at 5 PM

SADC PEOPLE’S SUMMIT ROARS INTO LIFE

Bulawayo, 15 August- The 2014 People’s Summit opened  (14 August 2014) with over two hundred delegates from WoMin, La Via Campesina Africa, the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) and the People’s Dialogue demanding  renewed focus on issues affecting farmers, rural women and mining impacted communities.

The opening touched on wide ranging issues that SADC needs to focus on to ensure that the rights of communities are pushed ahead of those of corporates. Through song, poetry, dance and solidarity messages the delegates expressed concern on issues of forced relocations in Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond community,criminalization of political protests in Swaziland and the Palestine crises.

Women from Marange acted out a drama on forced relocations and rights abuses experienced in Marange following the discovery of diamonds, which resulted in the direct flouting of community rights to prior and informed consent. Since the relocations the community has had to endure food shortages and loss of their livelihoods, which included the rearing cattle.

Farai Maguwu in his speech on extractives industries addressed the plunder of Africa’s natural resources by the Global North and now the emerging economies like BRICS. He cautioned communities to closely monitor mining operations and transport systems that are involved in moving stolen resources out of the region. He further called for a stronger movement that challenges the power of our post-colonial governments that have lost interest in defending people’s rights: “it seems like our former liberators… fought not to replace the system but to rather replace the former oppressors and occupy the position of power to enrich themselves”.

Samantha Hargreaves from WoMin warned that the agenda of value addition and beneficiation of natural resources to retain greater wealth nationally – the major agenda of the Heads of State summit – is inadequate. The devastating environmental and social impacts will continue unchecked and exacerbated by the high levels of energy and water consumption (and pollution) that accompany the processing and value addition to raw materials. These costs are mainly borne by peasant women in the region who have the development solutions we must recognize and build on.

Mercia Andrews of the Rural Women’s Assembly asked why the Head of States have not asked the people of the region what issues concern them. Instead they have gone to the corporates and investment banks to shape their development priorities. She emphasized the importance of this gathering of activists from social movements and grassroots organisations across the region. This represents the sort ofalternative people-centred African community that is needed to advance development and ensure solidarity between peoples.

Brid Brennan from the Transnational Institute (TNI) in Amsterdam spoke about howgovernments are being captured by the interests of corporates and serving their interests. The Southern African Permanent People’s Tribunal which organisations in the region are building will establish a platform where we can expose corporate interests and collusions with our governments.

Issues of seed sovereignty were also touched upon at length with Elizabeth Mpofu, thegeneral secretary of La Via Campesina Africa noting that “Food sovereignty unlike food security is not just about whether we have food but rather it is about how food is produced, land ownership and having power to own our own seeds”. Food sovereignty is being threatened by the corporates that are grabbing our land and water – “why aren’t they using land and resources in their own countries?” delegates reminded us that land and seed represent life and hope for the peoples of the region.

The delegates were reminded to be at the forefront of movement-building and solidarity to so that we never suffer another Marange and Marikana.  A call to action was made with one delegate stating that “Now that we know what we know, what is important is to take appropriate action that betters the lives of the affected communities otherwise they will lose trust in us as a movement”

Study shows link between resource extraction industries, domestic abuse

 An increase in domestic and sexual violence against women is among the troubling social impacts of resource extraction industries, according to a B.C. victims' services association behind a new $40,000 initiative aimed at drawing awareness to the issue.

Tracy Porteous, executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C. (EVA BC), pointed to recent Canadian and international research showing that factors such as a largely transient and male work force, increases in drug and other substance use and income disparity between sexes associated with such industries contribute to an increase in violence against women.

In response, EVA BC is working to produce a training video aimed at new employees involved in resource extraction, focusing on identifying the risks and responding appropriately. The B.C. government and energy producer Encana Corporation will contribute $20,000 each to fund its production.

"It's important to be said that the vast majority of men who work in resource extraction don't commit violence," Ms. Porteous said. "It's those people that we want to tap into, so they can speak to the people who are struggling."

Clarice Eckford, project co-ordinator at Fort St. John Women's Resource Society, found that in that northeastern B.C. boomtown, the average income for men in 2006 was $56,000 - $12,000 more than the national average - due largely to new jobs in construction, oil and gas, transportation and communication and mining. By contrast, the average income for women in Fort St. John that year was just $27,000. This income disparity results in women becoming financially dependent on their partners, Ms. Porteous said.

Ms. Eckford also found that nearly one-third of men in Fort St. John reported having "no fixed workplace address" in 2005, which was double the national average.

Meanwhile, towns with populations of less than 20,000, such as Fort St. John and Kitimat, do not meet the threshold to have provincially funded community-based victim assistance programs, Ms. Porteous said.

"These are key programs that help [victims] navigate a complex set of systems [such as] child protection, police, corrections, social assistance and social housing," which all have different policies and procedures, she said.

Richard Dunn, vice-president of government relations Canada at Encana Corp., said the video is a result of Encana's involvement as a founding partner in the Be More Than a Bystander campaign, an anti-violence initiative by EVA BC and the B.C. Lions football club.

"Taking this same message into our field operations aligns with our commitment to ensuring a safe, respectful workplace and is a proactive step to address this difficult issue which exists in every community," Mr. Dunn said in a statement.

Stephanie Cadieux, B.C.'s minister of children and family development, said the training initiative will help raise awareness of the effects of domestic violence, which are not limited to the home.

Ms. Porteous said the goal is to have the video, which is currently being storyboarded and is expected to film later this summer, available at every resource-extraction work site. It will also be distributed through EVA BC's network of 240 anti-violence programs.

In 2008, EVA BC launched a training program targeted at men in the forestry and mining sectors called Renewing Resources: Understanding the Effects of Domestic Violence on the Workplace.

you can also visit http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/mining-forestry-tied-to-domestic-violence/article19735561/#dashboard/follows/

Social Services in Mining Areas!

Social Services in Mining Area! How is it in your area?

Meet the Two Leaders of Tanzania Women Miners Association

Martha Bitwale: The  former  Chairperson of Tanzania Women Miners Association:

She is a long time activist of rights of Women miners.  Her passion on women's rights and the struggles to organize women in mining to advance in the mining sector is known among most women miners in Tanzania. She is a witness of the transformation in mining sector and how it accommodates women in Tanzania. Her story as a woman miner, leader, a mother, an activist, business woman and her passion to engage and organize other women in the sector has contributed a lot to the women in mining struggles today. She is calling for the "Re-Focus" on the priorities of women in Mining Tanzania.

Eunice Negele: The Chairperson of Tanzania  Women Miners Association

She is woman miner based in Tanga Region, the activist, a mother  and  Leader. She works with more than 400 women in 11 districts of Tanzania to advocate for the rights of women miners and women living in mining areas.

The election for the new chairperson will be held this year. TAWOMA needs a feminist leader, who holds the deepest of values for justice and equality. This leader will need to work with women in two levels; supporting  women miners to build self consciousness and self esteem so that they understand and stay  on top of their challenging context (2) Linking women miners and women in mining with different resources, networks, struggles and movement so that they effect change.

Who will be the next?

Let Ban Ki-moon know you want human rights in the Sustainable Development Goals

The Mining Working Group at the UN and the Blue Planet Project have spearheaded a recent sign-on letter on the need for the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals to include an explicit mention of the need to guarantee the human right to water and sanitation. The letter has garnered more than 300 sign-ons – we thank you for your support and for your advocacy efforts to join this important fight.

Despite our call, the latest “zero draft” of the SDGs text (30 June, 2014) has failed to include explicit mention of the human right to water and sanitation. Time is running out to influence the Open Working Group, as its 13^th and last official session will be held July 14-18, with informals preceding it starting July 9. It is therefore essential that we unite in one last push to include the human rights language in the OWG report, particularly around the human right to water and sanitation.
As a final step, we encourage you and your organizations to write to the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, through the online petition available [English] [Spanish]. In this pivotal moment, we must show the UN that we have not given up on human rights in the SDGs, and that they must ensure the inclusion of this language to ensure that the SDGS, and the post-2015 agenda, truly deliver for people’s human rights and the sanctity of our planet.

Thank you for your support.

Click the link below to sign the petition

http://www.blueplanetproject.net/index.php/let-ban-ki-moon-know-you-want-human-rights-in-the-sdgs/

We Are Not ANGRY Enough!

I am a woman, and i am a feminist! i work with women  from mining communities in Tanzania and i am angry. In the past few days i have been assessing myself if i am angry enough to effect change, i do not have a clear answer yet... i am still reflecting.

I have been talking with women i work with about different issues in mining sector in Tanzania, and my observation is... Women are not angry enough.  Most of them would say "The state is very powerful and we cannot change, or the mining companies have BIG money and any other loads of excuses, but if we were angry, very angry, and very constructively angry, we would look forwad and continue with questioning  the POWER.

The power that give the same mining corporations our resources and remain silent when they abuse us.  The power that use our money, our bodies, our resources, our children, our families and manipulate our economy for their own benefit.

We are POLITELY angry, and being politely angry will not bring the change we want.We need to re- direct our anger towards the system. for the cause we have been believing in. JUSTICE and EQUALITY. We have done our fair share of protecting our land, and natural resources, and environment, and our bodies, and our economy and so many more you can name the rest,  but we need to do more, go further than looking at our being women or men but shaming those who stand on our way!

Lets be angry enough to change what is not right!

Mercury in Artisanal and Small scale mining and Health... Are women Safe?

In many Artisanal Small Scale Gold Mining  areas, women perform the most toxic jobs since
they do not require strength. These jobs include pouring the mercury into the ball-mills or
mixing the mercury in panning, and burning the amalgam, often with their children or babies
nearby. In some areas in Tanzania, women also carry the rocks from the mining sites to the processing
plants.

The most common practice used in small-scale mining to separate gold from ore is mercury amalgamation. This process involves combining mercury with silt that contains pieces of gold. The mercury binds to the flakes of gold and forms a solid mercury-gold amalgam. The amalgam is then heated to vaporize and capture the mercury in an enclosed retort oven, leaving the gold behind.

When gold concentrate containing mercury or mercury-gold amalgam is heated, mercury vapors are released into the air, which — if not properly contained — can be breathed in by miners and those nearby. When you breathe in mercury vapors, about 80 to 85 percent of the mercury enters your bloodstream directly from your lungs, and then rapidly goes to other parts of your body, including the brain and kidneys. Once in your body, metallic mercury can stay for weeks or months. Mercury in the blood of pregnant women can pass through to her developing child.

High exposure to mercury vapor is very dangerous, and can cause permanent brain, kidney, and lung damage. Unborn babies and young children are especially sensitive to the toxic effects of mercury because of their developing brain and nervous systems. Short-term exposure to high levels of mercury vapors can cause lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increased blood pressure and heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation. Long-term exposure to lower levels can cause health effects that develop gradually, such as tremors, headaches, sleeping problems, memory loss, irritability, poor coordination, and changes in vision and hearing. Children and pregnant women should stay far away from mercury-related activities to minimize their exposure.
Biomonitoring results from several Artisanal Small Small Scale Gold Mining countries show alarming concentrations of mercury in hair, urine and blood of children, women and men. There is a rapidly growing body of knowledge in this area, which has also revealed some symptoms similar to Minamata disease and its adverse effects and damage to the developing brain is a particular concern.

Here are recommendations to stay safe:
1. Avoid direct contact with mercury. If you cannot avoid direct contact with mercury, wear gloves at all times.
2. Avoid using mercury to separate gold from ore.
3. Avoid exposure to mercury vapors.
4. Miners who choose to heat gold concentrate or mercury-gold amalgam should: Never heat it indoors or in an enclosed space such as a tent; doing so may result in dangerously high levels and contaminate the surroundings. Never heat it around pregnant women or children. Properly use a retort to greatly reduce exposure to mercury vapors.
5. Miners who have any contact with mercury should shower/bathe thoroughly and change their clothes before coming in contact with other people, especially pregnant women and children.
6. Avoid washing mercury-contaminated clothing in a washing machine or with other clothes on basin  because it can contaminate other clothes and the septic system, and release mercury into the air.
7. Place all mercury and mercury waste, such as paper towels, newspapers, and gloves in a sealed container like a jar inside of a plastic bag.
8. Properly dispose of mercury-contaminated
Please read and pass on the information!

How Further Do women Need to Go?

Tanzania is endowed with a vast and very valuable extractive resource industry consisting of forestry, petroleum and minerals. It is ranked fourth in terms of diversity and richness of mineral resources in Africa, after South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria.  This includes a wide range of minerals from gold, diamond, colored stones, industrial minerals and gas. Tanzania mining sector is fast growing at an annual average of 10% since 1999 with an average 4% contribution to the GDP.

Mining development has both positive and negative impacts for communities. A growing body of evidence shows that a gender bias exists in the distribution of risks and benefits of mining projects. Benefits, which include employment, income, and compensation, typically accrue to men, and costs, such as family/social breakdowns, cultural harm and environmental degradation, fall most heavily on women and children

Mineral extractions has a lot to do with women than signing MDAs, calculating revenues, or provision of poor health services, water, food, school, road etc in the name of CSR. For long time women movement in Tanzania has touched the subject of extractive but mostly in relation to land grabs, violence against women, environmental degradations but very little efforts have been made by the state to answer to those demands.

Women movement in Tanzania needs to go further to understand the sector and question different gendered issues in relation to extractive  such as Women’s Unseen Contribution to the Extractives Industries and  Their Unpaid Labour, land and food sovereignty in relation to extractive, impact of extractives on women's bodies, sexuality and autonomy etc. (please visithttp://www.womin.org.za/papers.html)

Women's voice  is mostly missing in the CSOs movement on extractive industry. It is a matter of priority in the current resistances around the country and unless women bring in their priorities, the change will be only seen on one side. Individual women and  women organizations and entities, need to go further to challenge the status quo and address women's priorities in relation to extractive. It has to go further than provision of services and seed and food and shelter and clothes and training and skills, it has to go than numbers and statistics and percentage, It has to go  further to women taking active roles on the fronts of the resistance in the extractive industry

Women in Mining Leadership Development: Emerging of Women Organizations in Mining Areas

One of the important aspects of women in leadership development program carried out by HakiMadini is to facilitate women in mining areas to self organize so that they  claim their rights, influence the political agenda and advance their livelihood. Formation of women organization as a safe space for discussion, prioritizing women  agendas, seek support and advance their collective voice is a step towards advocating for the equality in extractive sector.

Two community based organizations in Mererani and Singida were founded as a result of women in mining leadership development. Women saw the need to come together in a platform where they could share their success and challenges and engage others in the struggle towards equality in the extractive sector.

Women in the meeting

Kikundi cha Wanawake Wachimbaji Tanzanite Mirerani (KIWATAMITA) and Amani Group in Singida are community based Organizations formed and led by Women miners. They are working towards raising awareness on impact of extractives in community around mining areas, supporting women miners, prevemtion and response on violence against women and children in mining areas and economic empowerment.

Women in Mining Tanzania: 10 Reasons Why CSO should invest in facilitating ...

Women in Mining Tanzania: 10 Reasons Why CSO should invest in facilitating ...: Ten Reasons Why CSOs should facilitate self Organization of Women in Mining I once worked with a women&#3...

Tanzania Tops Tax Theft Nations

Tanzania’s mining revenues are touted as a key way to reduce reliance on foreign aid and pull people out of poverty, but experts argue big companies are swindling the government out of at least $248 million a year.

The East African nation topped the worst of a list of nations across the continent examined by a watchdog group, Global Financial Integrity (GFI), with nearly $19 billion in illicit flows over the past decade, the equivalent to over seven per cent of the country’s total government revenue.

“There’s a narrative in the development community that there’s something wrong with developing countries, because we keep pumping money in, and they’re not developing as quickly as we’d like them to,” said GFI economist Brian LeBlanc.

“The reality is that we’re draining money out, and we’re doing it at an increasing rate.” The Washington-based GFI’s examination of trade mis-invoicing reveals stark figures.

Mis-invoicing occurs when businesses deliberately lie about the value of the goods they’re importing or exporting. There are a lot of illegal reasons to do this, including tax evasion and money laundering.

Globally, trade mis-invoicing is a $424-billion-a-year problem, and makes up about 80 per cent of all the money that flows out of developing countries illegally, GFI said.

Numbers like this, when compared to aid, mean there’s far more money draining out of Africa than going in.Much attention has been given to transfer pricing, when multinational companies employ accounting tricks to shift profits into countries where they’ll pay less tax.

Trade mis-invoicing is different. It involves tangible goods that are shipped across borders, and the activity is, therefore, a lot easier to spot.‘Critical’ resources lostThe researchers simply looked at the value of goods sent to or received from developed countries -where customs officials tend to be more rigorous - and compared it to the values declared in developing countries. In Tanzania, the report discovered that, rather than undervaluing imports, corporations were overvaluing them.

In the case of fuel imports, overvaluing allows companies exempt from paying fuel taxes - such as mining companies - to reduce on paper the profits they will be taxed on, with GFI calculating as much as $248 million a year in revenue was lost.

In total, at least $8 billion was illegally drained out of the Tanzanian economy over just 10 years, said LeBlanc. “These critical resources could have helped to create more jobs, to fund greater access to social services to improve the lives of average Tanzanians, and to improve infrastructure that is vital to additional economic development,” he said.

But it wasn’t all money going out. The report identified nearly 11 billion in export over-invoicing, which may be a sign of money-laundering and payments for illicit goods.

Dar es Salaam Port is a major hub for illegal export of wildlife products like rhino horn and ivory, as well as drugs and gold. Stronger and more specific laws can help tackle the problem, the report added.

 They also suggest that customs officials have access to up-to-date pricing data, to allow them to flag questionable exports and imports. “Every international organization in the world is basically telling them promote exports and trade facilitation, and then we come along and say that perhaps these things have unintended consequences that need to be addressed,” said LeBlanc.

“For years and years this problem has been known by the World Bank and IMF, but it’s been viewed as an intrinsic problem with the African countries, not looking at the other side of the equation - the overall financial system, which is a system largely created by Western nations,” he added. “It’s a much larger, more intricate problem.” (AFP)

 Source: THE CITIZEN Posted Sunday, June 8   2014 at 15:26