Violence against women in artisanal mining

On International Women's Day (March 8) the struggle of women for equality, recognition, and effective exercise of their rights is commemorated. However, this date also reminds us of pending tasks such as the elimination of all types of psychological, physical, sexual, or patrimonial violence against women and girls.

In 2021, the World Health Organization warned that one in three women worldwide has suffered some type of violence. During that same year, Peru registered 140,833 cases of violence against women through the Women's Emergency Centers (CEM)[1], a figure that far exceeded the 97,926 cases registered in 2020.

The situation of violence against women was further complicated by the pandemic. The women and girls were forced to live permanently with their aggressors and given the restrictions on movement and the fear of contagion, a large part of the cases of violence did not materialize in formal complaints.

In rural areas, the violence against women is more acute, due to less access to information and complaint channels that limit the monitoring of violence cases. Likewise, culturally, many rural areas are governed by a patriarchal model, which has been institutionalized by generations; to the point of normalizing discriminatory practices or verbal aggression against women and girls, which slow down their opportunities for development.

The women of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) are no strangers to this situation. One of the most precarious and invisible groups is made up of pallaqueras, women who work on the slopes of hills selecting the gold-bearing material discarded by the miners.

Currently, the activity of the pallaqueras in Peru is not regulated, for which the women who dedicate themselves to this work depend exclusively on the authorization of the mining owner to work in the mining operation. Likewise, during the commercialization of the collected mineral, since they cannot be formally sold, they are subject to the prices imposed by the buyers or collectors, obtaining between 30% to 40% less than the real price.

This double dependency hides violent dynamics, in which the pallaqueras must accept physical abuse, harassment, discrimination, and contempt for their job in order to be allowed to work. Unfortunately, the need to obtain income for their homes limits the options to denounce or express their disagreement with the abuses, facilitating the circle of violent practices that are exercised against them.

Faced with this situation, the planetGOLD Peru project has set out to develop leadership and violence prevention workshops, as part of a tailored action plan, that allows ASGM women to work on equal terms with their male colleagues. In this way, the initiative not only focuses on the implementation of mercury-free practices in ASGM but also pays special attention to the reality of pallaqueras and women miners in the sector.

Violence against women and girls is a structural problem, preventing it is a commitment that begins with the recognition of its manifestations in all areas. The involvement of women in decision-making in economic, political, and social processes is essential for sustainable, inclusive, and violence-free development.

• The planetGOLD initiative is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by UNEP. In Peru, it is executed by the Ministry of the Environment (Minam), in alliance with the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), and with the technical assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

[1] The Women's Emergency Centers (CEM) are public, specialized, and free services that provide comprehensive care to contribute to the protection, recovery, and access to justice of people affected by acts of family or sexual violence.