Promoting gender equality in the Rwandan ASM: efforts and obstacles

ABSTRACT

Despite Rwanda getting high scores in international rankings for steps made in providing an enabling business environment, reducing maternal mortality, increasing the number of women in politics and other efforts relating to the promotion of gender equality in various activity sectors, the Rwandan mining sector is still male-dominated. Only 16% of its workforce is women whereas the 2009 mining policy had a target to increase the number of women in the mining industry to 20–30% of the workforce by the beginning of 2013. This article argues that various efforts were engaged by mining and gender stakeholders to promote gender equality in mining, though obstacles persist to this purpose. The efforts include the availability of a friendly legal and policy framework and willing stakeholders. The obstacles are centred on the nature of mining activities, gender norms, and taboos associated with the historical dominance of men in mining. In any case, the effective implementation of available policies and related instruments, upon the elaboration of strong tools and strategies, can lead to complete gender equality in the Rwandan mining industry.

RÉSUMÉ

Bien que le Rwanda ait obtenu des scores élevés dans les classements internationaux en raison de mesures prises pour créer un environnement favorable aux entreprises, réduire la mortalité maternelle, augmenter le nombre de femmes en politique, et d’autres efforts relatifs à la promotion de l’égalité entre les sexes dans divers secteurs d’activité, le secteur minier du pays est encore dominé par les hommes. Seulement 16 % de femmes composent la main d’œuvre de ce secteur, alors que la politique minière de 2009 visait à atteindre 20 à 30 % de femmes dans l’industrie minière au début de l’année 2013. Cet article soutient que divers efforts ont été déployés par les parties prenantes du secteur minier et de l’égalité des sexes pour promouvoir l’égalité des sexes dans le secteur minier, bien que des obstacles persistent à cet effet. Les efforts comprennent la disponibilité d’un cadre juridique et politique favorable et des parties prenantes consentantes. Les obstacles sont centrés sur la nature des activités minières, les normes de genre et les tabous associés à la domination historique du secteur minier par les hommes. En tout état de cause, la mise en œuvre effective des politiques disponibles et des instruments connexes, sur l’élaboration d’outils et de stratégies solides, peut conduire à l’égalité complète entre les sexes dans l’industrie minière rwandaise.

KEYWORDS:

• gender equality
• ASM
• Rwandan mining sector
• efforts
• obstacles

MOTS-CLÉS:

• égalité entre les sexes
• EMAPE
• secteur minier rwandais
• efforts
• obstacles

Acknowledgements

This paper would not have been possible without the support of various stakeholders to whom we owe a word of recognition. We are grateful for the guidance and comments of Professor Doris E. Buss and Professor Blair Rutherford from Carleton University (Canada), and Gisèle Eva Côté of IMPACT, formerly Partnership Africa Canada (PAC). We are most thankful to Mrs Joanne Lebert, the IMPACT Executive Director, for having welcomed the Rwanda Women in/and Mining Organization (WIAMO) to play a role in the study “Women in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining in Central and East Africa: Empowerment Challenges and Possibilities,” the inspiration for this paper. We also wish to extend our gratitude to government leaders at all levels, and mining companies, their workers and their neighbours, for permitting and enabling us to carry out the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Support for this primary research came from the “Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Central and East Africa” project supported by the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) programme.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Development Research Centre.

Notes on contributors

Bernard Nsanzimana

Bernard Nsanzimana (LLM) joined the academic world in 2007, as a lecturer, researcher and consultant in the area of law and human rights at different Universities in Rwanda: UR, UTAB and UTB. He is a human rights activist, co-founder of the Rwanda Women in/and Mining Organization (WIAMO), Founder and President of the Initiative for Transparent and Responsible Mining (ITRM-Rwanda), and a legal practitioner.

Aline Providence Nkundibiza

Aline Providence Nkundibiza (MA) joined the mining sector in 2011 working with the Ministry of Natural Resources in the programme Minerals Supply Chain Due Diligence. She is the Founder and Chairperson of WIAMO. She is also a researcher and consultant in the areas of gender, minerals traceability and certification, and ASM and environmental management.

Patricie Mwambarangwe

Patricie Mwambarangwe (MA), the Deputy Chairperson of WIAMO, has worked with the Germany Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) as Local Project Coordinator, since 2009.