By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
The implementing partner of Women in Mining Africa (WiM-Africa), Richflood Foundation, has urged that human-faced and sustainable approach be adopted in the efforts to curb the regrettably prevailing illegal mining activities involving women and children in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to newsmen, the foundation expressed serious concern about the recently reported arrests of nursing mothers, teenagers, and children at ‘illegal mining sites’ across Niger State.
Reacting to the reports, the Executive Director, WiM-Africa, Dr Comfort Asoskoro-Ogaji said, “While we commend the Niger State government’s efforts to curb illegal mining activities and protect natural resources, we urge a compassionate and sustainable approach to addressing the root causes of such issues.”
In an interview, a team of Richflood Foundation and WiM-Africa held that the raids conducted by the Niger State Ministry of Mineral Resources, resulting in the arrest of these vulnerable groups, highlighted the urgent need for comprehensive socio-economic interventions in mining communities.
“As an organisation working with WiM-Africa and pursuing its objectives in Nigeria through the ‘Voices of Children from the Pits’ Programme, we are dedicated to promoting the welfare of women and children in mining areas.
“We hereby want to acknowledge the compassionate decision made to promptly release nursing mothers and elderly women. It is imperative that these individuals are treated with dignity and provided with the necessary support to transition out of hazardous and illegal mining activities.
“In the same vein, the prevalence of women and children in illegal mining underscores the need for targeted educational and economic support programmes.
“Richflood Foundation and WiM-Africa are committed to implementing the “Voices of Children from the Pits” (VOC) programme, which aims to rescue children from hazardous mining sites, raise awareness about the dangers of child labour, and facilitate access to education for these vulnerable children.
“Following the ongoing VOC programme, we propose a collaborative effort with the Niger State government to organise a workshop on August 26th, 2024,” the foundation said.
According to the statement, the workshop aims to raise awareness among women in mining communities about the importance of education for their children and gather information about affected children to facilitate their enrollment and retention in formal schooling systems.
The foundation said it had also provided a few recommendations for the consideration of the state government and stakeholders in the state and in Nigeria, top on the list of which included educational empowerment of children and economic empowerment of the women, amidst continuous awareness and sensitisation programmes across mining communities.