BC Gendered Impacts Symposium deepens understanding of the impact of resource extraction on Indigenous Women
We rely on the land. Our stories and songs are on the land. Our identity is from the land. I can’t think of how this dislocation from the land will affect my daughter. The company never asked how this is going to affect my daughter and my granddaughter.
Anne Marie Sam, Gendered Impacts Symposium, October 13, 2015
Brought together by a desire to learn more about how resource extraction impacts Indigenous women, as well as the critical role women play in defending the rights of their communities and the environment, over 50 people including representatives of Indigenous and women’s groups, industry, and the KAIROS network and member churches gathered at the Vancouver public library on October 13 for the BC Gendered Impact symposium – Indigenous women and resource extraction.
The symposium featured women from the Philippines, Ecuador and Canada who spoke about their personal experiences with resource extraction, their research and their efforts to prevent, mitigate and address the impacts. The wealth of information and knowledge was shared both in presentations and small group discussion that enabled participants to engage and interact with the speakers
The symposium was chaired by Anne Marie Sam, a member of Nak’azdli First Nation. She is with the First Nation Women Advocating for Responsible Mining (FNWARM), and has accompanied KAIROS in this work since the beginning. The symposium builds on our integrated work on Indigenous rights, resource extraction and gender justice.
The BC Gendered Impact symposium was organized by KAIROS in partnership with First Nations Women Advocating for Responsible Mining (FNWARM), Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Quebec Native Women/Femmes autochtones du Québec, the Wabanaki Confederacy, and Amnesty International. This collaborative effort succeeded in deepening our knowledge and understanding of the complexity and interconnectedness of mining’s impacts on women, in developing collective recommendations and strategies, and in broadening the network of organizations engaged in these issues. We are working on a final report and hope to release a summary of the findings on November 25, the International Day to End Violence against Women. Stay tuned!
For more information, please contact Rachel Warden, KAIROS Gender Justice Coordinator, rwarden@kairoscanada.org
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- Presenters and a few of the symposium participants.
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- Showing solidarity for the Lumad people in the Philippines who have been recently targeted for defending their ancestral lands.
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- First panel: Meeka Otway and Elana Nightingale from Pauktuutit and Gloria Chicaiza from Accion Ecologica in Ecuador. Thanks to Emilie Smith for fantastic translation.
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- Gloria Chicaiza speaks about the impacts of mining in Ecuador on land and Indigenous women’s bodies
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- Pya Malayao from KATRIBU in the Philippines explaining the ways in which Indigenous women in her country resist mining and human rights violations.
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- Small group discussion led by Alma Brooks.
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- Small group discussion led by Elana Nightingale and Meeka Otway.
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- Small group discussion led by Anne Marie Sam.
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- Brenda Schwab reporting back from a small group discussion. She generously volunteered to take notes throughout the day,
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- Kimberly Shearon from Ecojustice giving the highlights from her group.
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- A participant from Ghana helps generate good discussion with his question.
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- Moderator Anne Marie Sam sets the context for the day. She is Naz’azdli and part of the First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM) network.
