A nationwide organisation called Women in Mining in Nigeria has created an application called WIMRIGHTS for reporting mistreatment of women at mining sites all around the nation.
On Tuesday, the app was introduced during the WIMIN National Summit in Abuja.
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The founder and national president of WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi, stated there were many instances of violence against women and children in Nigeria in her opening statement.
She said;
We conducted in-depth research on the levels of gender abuse and child abuse in the solid minerals sectors of Bauchi State, Kogi State, and Ekiti State. Our research revealed numerous cases of abuse in the sector that urgently need to be unveiled and addressed.
According to her, there are cases of women being raped and child labour (despite the ban on the presence of children in such places) at mining sites in Bauchi.
She added that in Kogi, there are disturbing reports of gender rights violations , torture of women and child labour in the solid minerals sector, noting that some of the abuses were carried out by members of the Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
She added that an app has been developed to report abuses, and a toll-free number is also available for those unable to access the app due to lack of internet or smartphones.
Adeyemi stressed;
We have developed a software called ‘WIMRIGHTS’, which will serve as a platform for reporting cases of abuse in the sector in real-time, including the option for live streaming, You can find the WIMRIGHTS App on both the Play Store and Apple Store.
In the interest of female miners in the grassroots, we have established a dedicated hotline for reporting abuses in mining host communities.
