Women‘s Perspectives on the Impact of Mining on the Right to Food The Human Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition of Women and Children of Communities Affected by Mining and Displacement in Essakane, Burkina Faso www.fian.org 03 / 2015 FIAN INTERNATIONAL Willy-Brandt-Platz 5 69115 Heidelberg, Germany www.fian.org FIAN BURKINA FASO 11 BP 963 CMS Ouagadougou 11, Burkina Faso IMPRINT Published by FIAN International and FIAN Burkina Faso Authors: Kossiwavi A. Ayassou Sawadogo and R. Denisse Córdova Montes We would like to thank Maarten Immink from the FAO Right to Food Team for his guidance during the development and implementation of the study. The documentation was made possible through the financial support of terre des hommes Germany. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of our funders. Design: Heike Scharm, www.scharmant.de Cover photo: Essakane, Burkina Faso case visit Nov. 2011. Photo: Florence Kroff Published March 2015 FIAN is an international human rights organization that has advocated for the realization of the right to adequate food and nutrition for more than 28 years. FIAN’s mission is to expose violations of people’s right to food and nutrition wherever they may occur. We stand up against unjust and oppressive practices that prevent people from feeding themselves. The struggle against gender- based discrimination and other forms of exclusion, including violations of the rights of children, are integral parts of our mission. We strive to secure people’s access to the resources that they need in order to feed themselves, now and in the future. 03 / 2015 www.fian.org Table of Contents 4 Executive Summary 9 Chapter One: Introduction Context: Gold Mining in Essakane, Burkina Faso FIAN’s Involvement with the Essakane Communities Objectives 11 Chapter Two: Methods Theoretical and Conceptual Framework Review of Human Rights Framework and Related Documents Selection of Participants Administrative Procedures: Informed Consent and Other Qualitative and Quantitative Components Limitations Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis Human Rights Analysis 23 Chapter Three: Focus Group Discussion Results Perceptions in Regards to Hunger and Malnutrition Perceptions in Regards to the Right to Adequate Food and Nutrition and Related Human Rights Perceptions in Regards to Impact of Mining and Displacement on Hunger, Malnutrition and Human Rights Perceptions in Regards to Factors that Affect the Nutritional Status of the Children Strategies Put Forward to Overcome Problems Identified The Newly-displaced Communities: Sabangaré and Zone Nord 38 Chapter Four: Individual Survey Results Household Composition Socio-economic Status Women’s Health and Rights Infant and Young Child Feeding and Health Practices Water and Sanitation 48 Chapter Five: Discussion Women’s Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health Women’s Right to Be Free from Gender-Based Violence Women’s Right to Natural and Productive Resources Children’s Right to Education Children’s Right to Health Women’s Right to Recourse and Accountability Mechanisms 55 Chapter Six: Conclusion and Recommendations 57 Annex I 59 Annex II www.fian.org 03 / 2015 4 | Women‘s Perspectives on the Impact of Mining on the Right to Food based violence; and (6) women’s right to recourse Executive Summary and accountability mechanisms. Introduction For this report, a total of 60 women took part in focus group discussions and a smaller subset of these women took part in individual surveys during the The Essakane gold site is located in north-eastern months of May and June 2014. In addition, hundreds Burkina Faso. Since 2009, the Canadian investor of men and women from each of the six communities IAMGOLD has held mining rights for an area of about took part in community meetings in November 2014 10,000 hectares in Essakane. As a result of their meant to validate the findings included in this expanding mining activities, 13 local communities report. Finally, the report’s findings build upon over composed of approximately 2500 households were five years of work with the affected communities in displaced and resettled in other areas outside the Essakane by FIAN International and FIAN Burkina perimeters of the mining grounds in November 2009. Faso during which FIAN gathered information about Since being displaced, these 13 communities have human rights violations from a broad range of sources, come together to form six communities: Bounia, including through field investigations, meetings and Essakane Site, Marganta, Pétabarabé Oudalan, correspondence with community leaders, government Pétabarabé Seno, and Ticknawell. FIAN International officials, and company representatives. and FIAN Burkina Faso have accompanied the six communities in their efforts to demand their human right to adequate food and nutrition since 2009. Methods Private companies working in the region carry a legal The perspectives of women from the communities obligation to respect human rights. The government were sought through focus group discussions and of Burkina Faso has an obligation to respect, protect, individual questionnaires. The development of and fulfill these human rights. With the aim of these tools was guided by an expanded framework continuing to support the communities’ efforts to for the human right to adequate food and nutrition demand their human rights and hold the government that fully integrates the dimensions of women’s of Burkina Faso accountable for its human rights rights and nutrition and is conceptualized within obligations, this report focuses in particular on the food sovereignty framework. In line with this the perspectives of women regarding the impact framework, the focus group discussion guide and of mining and displacement on their communities’ individual questionnaires were designed to document right to adequate food and nutrition, in particular and understand the links between women’s rights, on potential human rights threats and violations children’s rights, access to resources, environmental related to the malnutrition of children. To guide this rights and the human right to adequate food and work, a methodology, composed of qualitative and nutrition as well as the social determinants of quantitative tools, as well as a conceptual framework, malnutrition. In addition, the information obtained were developed. While it was not feasible to directly from the women was substantiated with information measure malnutrition in children in Essakane that had been previously obtained by FIAN in its five through anthropometric methods, the conceptual years of work with the communities. framework developed identified the following rights as fundamental to explore in order to understand Human rights framework violations of the human right to adequate food and Burkina Faso has ratified a number of international nutrition related to the malnutrition of children in human rights treaties and as a result of being a State Essakane: (1) women’s sexual and reproductive rights; Party to these, the government of Burkina Faso has (2) women’s right to natural and productive resources; the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill the (3) children’s right to education; (4) children’s right human rights of its population in general, and of these to health; (5) women’s right to be free from gender- communities in particular. This report specifically 03 / 2015 www.fian.org Women‘s Perspectives on the Impact of Mining on the Right to Food | 5 looked at: (1) women’s sexual and reproductive rights; on hunger, malnutrition of children, women’s rights, (2) women’s right to natural and productive resources; children’s rights, and the environment; (3) the factors (3) children’s right to education; (4) children’s right affecting the nutritional status of their children; and to health; (5) women’s right to be free from gender- (4) the strategies put forward by women to overcome based violence; and (6) women’s right to recourse these challenges. At the conclusion of each focus and accountability mechanisms. The conceptual group discussion, three or four women were randomly work revealed that these rights are often affected, or selected to participate in individual survey interviews violations of and threats to these are exacerbated, in that aimed at gathering information about (1) situations of displacement with implications for the household composition, (2) socio-economic status, right to adequate food and nutrition of women and (3) women’s health and rights, (4) infant and young children in particular. child feeding and health practices and (5) access to water and sanitation were administered. Quantitative and qualitative methods The findings in this report are primarily based on: (1) Information that had been previously gathered by community-wide meetings with representatives and FIAN during its research missions and interactions others from the six displaced communities, (2) focus with community members, leaders, government group discussions with women from the six displaced officials and IAMGOLD between 2009 and 2013 served communities, and (3) individual survey interviews to clarify whenever needed the information obtained with women from the six displaced communities – from the women community members. all of which took place between May and November 2014. In addition, two newly-displaced communities, which were not part of the original six communities Community-wide public meetings, which were this report sought to include, were included at the attended by hundreds of