National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has lamented the low report of human rights abuses in the country’s extractive sector.
The coordinator of NHRC office in Ekiti state, Mr Biodun Adigun, who stated this, hinged the situation on poor sensitisation and people’s lack of knowledge about their rights.
This came as the president and founder of Women In Mining Nigeria (WIMN) Engr Janet Adeyemi disclosed that an estimated one million children work in mines worldwide.
Adeyemi who stressed that the issue of child labour had become a major concern said the dialogue was a critical step towards achieving the goal of addressing the issues and work towards creating a more equitable and sustainable mining sector that respects the rights of all individuals involved.
She added that gender discrimination and violence against women were still prevalent in several mining communities, further exacerbating the challenges faced by women in these areas.
They spoke at a two-day high level policy dialogue tagged: “Safeguarding the rights of women and children in the solid mineral sector”, organised by WIMN for the sector’s stakeholders in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Adigun who was represented by the public affairs officer of NHRC in the state, Mr Bayo Babalola, said efforts must be geared towards protecting the right of women and children in the mining sector.
He said, “So far, there has not been any obvious reported case(s) of human rights abuse relating to women at any mining site in Ekiti State. The reason is for this is lack of sufficient sensitisation of the public by the government or agencies of the state on the rights of women in mining and as such people, perhaps are not in the know of their rights, so the complaint level may not also surge to the notice of the commission.’’
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