Civic involvement of riverside women min Civic involvement of riverside women mining sites, oil and gold in Niger
Most studies on the social and environmental impacts of the extractive industries in Africa reveal several abuses including gender inequality, poor access and control of basic social services, child labor, women's exposure to physical risks accidents, diseases, water pollution, air, the destruction of agricultural, forestry and pastoral ecosystems.
Niger is not immune to this dark picture of the mining economy. The Network of Organizations for Transparency and Budget Analysis (ROTAB) released in 2015 the results of a study on human rights and extractive industries throughout Niger. The one-year study of the uranium, oil and gold mining areas reveals that several social and environmental rights are being impacted. including access to water and education and primary care to the facts: "She is a little girl who is old enough to go to school,but unfortunately, we have found on a site of artisanal mining of gold. Child labor is very high, "says Naomi Binta, coordinator ofthe study of the Network of Organizations for Transparency and Budget Analysis.
Certainly the speech does not fail to affirm that the improvement of the living conditions of the populations residing in the mining zones is an axis during the settlements of these extractive industries. Unfortunately, as pointed out by several observers, the disadvantages noted are rather worrying: in addition to the degradation of the environment, it is necessary to note the depravation of morals, the inflation, the very bad socio-sanitary conditions of life, the insecurity and the promiscuity of habitats, the risks of violence against women, children subjected to alienating labor and the propensity of young people to consume narcotics.
Men are a fairly limited field, and the extractive industries have many glaring inequalities in terms of jobs, with an exceptionally limited presence of women in jobs created, outsourcing, positions of responsibility and employers.
The challenges arenot insurmountable, with a willingness at all levels to correct the shortcomings knowing that extractive industries are an opportunity in improving the well-being of people and workers and not a threat. To do this we must act and at best.
AFSIEN (the Women's Association of the Extractive Industries Sector of Niger) was born thanks to the initiative of women leaders working in the mining sector whose main objective is the improvement of the living and working conditionsof women working in the extractiveindustries or impacted by the activities of these industries. A secondary but no less important objective is the defense of the environment and communities living in the vicinity of the extractive industries (monitoring of socialand environmental risk mitigation measures, monitoring of measures to support the economic and social development of communities through the contributions of mining companies.
Goal: Structuring and strengthening the operational capabilities of women in mining.
  Specific objectives
The regional, departmental and communal branches of AFSIEN are created and function satisfactorily in the six (6) target regions that are: Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Tahoua, Tillabéry and Zinder.
women are framed structured and trained in civic engagement and the defense of the rights and interests of communities bordering the mines