Women miners in Ebonyi state under the umbrella of Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN), Tuesday December 13, 2022 lamented violence, discrimination by male counterparts.
This was as they called for safety and equality in their operations.
The women urged the men to see them as mothers, sisters, wives, cousins or relations and not competitors as they always see them.
They stated this in Abakaliki, the state capital during their project retreat/review meeting.
Ambassador Ijeoma Bristol who represented the national president of the association, Janet Adeyemi, said women in the mining sector have continued to face challenges of land ownership, huge collateral, discrimination, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and issues in the sector.
“Women in mining is focused on gender mainstreaming, women and children are predominantely engaged in working sculptures, machine loaders, backers and service providers. Their major handicap stems from finance for instance, inability to lease or purchase equipment,” she stated.