Gender-based violence and women in artisanal mining in Zimbabwe

This study, conducted by Tariro Youth Development Trust utilises a mixed-methods approach to explore gender-based violence (GBV) experiences of women in artisanal small-scale mining (ASM). The study was conducted in three mining hotspot districts in Zimbabwe. Although the study primarily targeted women, it also involved men to examine the gender norms behind high levels of physical violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, sexual violence, economic violence, forced labour and maltreatment affecting women and girls in ASM. The study investigated the abuse of power by men in ASM, women’s general vulnerability, the harsh nature of the industry, common cultural practices rooted in patriarchy that normalises harmful gender norms as well as the lack of strong laws and policies to protect women and girls at risk of GBV in ASM. The study discovered that people with disabilities who work in the ASM chain are mostly vendors and, only in very rare cases, miners who are involved in manual work. Commercial sex workers, in particular, suffer from all forms of abuse at the hands of men, many of whom are drug abusers.Gold panners (Makorokoza) prey on teenage girls, using money and material things to lure them into having sex. As a result, the rates of child marriage are high in all three of the districts studied. In the face of the persistent economic meltdown and rising poverty levels, women and girls in ASM are trapped in a cycle of hardships and limited choices. Faced with these precarious conditions, patriarchy poses the biggest obstacle for women and girls to effectively exploit and benefit from ASM, the only available means of livelihood.