Coal mining threatens people’s access to water in Mpumalanga, South Africa
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Dossier
Upholding Human Rights - Bridging the gender-environment divide
Both ENDS and some partners started a four-year project Upholding Human Rights, bridging the gender-environment divide in 2014, with the aim to empower women and human rights defenders, to improve sustainable resource management and to further explore the potential of the human rights system to enhance the position and protect the rights of women.
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Publication / 14 February 2016
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Publication / 9 September 2016
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Video / 31 May 2016
Women's rights undermined in South Africa
The population of the informal settlement Masakhane, South Africa is highly affected by the pollution and environmental damage caused by the the coal-fired Duvha power station. Before the mining and power station developments, families had access to and control over the land, even if they did not own it. Farming used to be the main source of livelihood. Today, mining companies and investors own most of the land, and as a direct consequence people have lost a lot of their farming and grazing land. This video shows testimonies of victims and their efforts to turn the tide.
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Video / 3 November 2017
Reality of Mine: South Africa
In this video we see Maria Mkhatswa, who is claiming the right of her people to have access to clean water, like they had years ago, when the coal mining industry had not yet polluted the whole area. The three part series 'Reality of Mine' gives a voice to women affected by mining in India, Kenya and South Africa. With the support of international NGOs Both ENDS and ActionAid, they have begun to stand up for their rights.
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Video / 3 November 2017
Reality of Mine: India
This short video takes you to Panna, India, where traditional adivasi women successfully oppose forced evictions. The three part series 'Reality of Mine' gives a voice to women affected by mining in India, Kenya and South Africa. With the support of international NGOs Both ENDS and ActionAid, they have begun to stand up for their rights.
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Publication / 14 February 2016
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Publication / 14 February 2016
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Publication / 3 November 2017
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External link / 31 May 2018
A human rights perspective on women and the environment (Annual Report 2017)
Although the human rights to water, food and a healthy environment have been incorporated in international legal instruments, in many countries these rights are violated on a massive scale. Women suffer disproportionally, because it is mostly still their role to feed the family and fetch water, but also because they lack decision-making power over the use of natural resources.
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Video / 3 November 2017
Reality of Mine: Kenya
In this video, Trivinia Mwanga Mwamburi from Kenya takes you with in her fight to get the land back which was taken from her because of the expansion of large scale salt mines. The three part series 'Reality of Mine' gives a voice to women affected by mining in India, Kenya and South Africa. With the support of international NGOs Both ENDS and ActionAid, they have begun to stand up for their rights.
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News / 3 March 2015
Sengwer people evicted for controversial - World Bank funded - project in Kenya
Under the pretext of a ‘Natural Resource Management Project’ funded by the World Bank, the Kenyan Forest Service has, again, started to forcibly evict the indigenous Sengwer people from their ancestral lands in the Kerangany Hills and to burn down their houses. This was documented on March 2nd, by a fact-finding team that was sent to the ground by the World Bank’s own inspection panel.
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Publication / 26 November 2020
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News / 8 March 2017
International Women's day is still urgently needed
Today is International Women's Day. A day originating from women's strikes against poor working conditions in the textile industry, some 100 years ago. Since then, a lot has improved for women but, unfortunately, men and women obviously still don’t have equal rights. In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir already warned that ‘women’s rights will never be vested. You have to stay vigilant your whole life’. Recent developments such as the tightening of abortion laws in some countries confirm this view and show that even in the ‘free West’ women’s rights are still far from self-evident.
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External link / 29 May 2019
Women say “no” to mining (Annual Report 2018)
Mining often has a huge and devastating impact on the environment, including water, air and forests. It can profoundly affect nearby communities, not only by harming local ecosystems, but also by exacerbating or provoking societal tension. In many places across the globe, women are leading resistance to mining and the 'extractivist' model.
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External link / 19 June 2020
Nepalese women lead local advocacy on climate change (Annual Report 2019)
In 2019, Karambot Women's Agriculture Group (Nepal) convinced their municipality to fund its proposed irrigation plan, after they followed a planning and budgeting training.
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Blog / 18 January 2019
Unambitious and uninspiring: the European Commission’s proposal for stepping-up action on global deforestation
By Michael RiceAfter five years of equivocation the European Commission has proposed a ‘roadmap’ for stepping-up EU action to address its contribution to global deforestation. Despite the escalating impact of EU trade in forest-risk commodities, regardless of repeated calls from the European Parliament for regulatory measures and contrary to the conclusions of the Commission’s own feasibility study in support of legislative intervention, the Commission has ruled-out out any new initiatives, let alone any legislative measures. The Commission’s solution to this complex problem: policy coherence.
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Publication / 27 June 2018
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News / 28 February 2018
Human Rights defenders from all over the world visit EU to call for strong measures against deforestation
This week, from 12 until 16 February, fourteen indigenous leaders and human rights defenders from forest countries came to the Netherlands to call upon Dutch policy makers to take serious action against human rights abuses, land grabbing and further deforestation in relation to large scale agriculture, timber logging and mining. The Dutch harbours of Rotterdam and Amsterdam receive enormeous amounts of soy and palm oil, both for the Dutch market and for further transport into Europe and elswhere.
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News / 23 March 2020
Women in Latin America claim their right to water
In many places in Latin America, access to clean water is under great pressure from overuse and pollution, often caused by large-scale agriculture or mining. This has significant impact, especially on women. In March, with International Women's Day on March 8 and World Water Day on March 22, they make themselves heard and claim their right to water.