MACUA WAMUA ADVICE OFFICE
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR CONSULTANT :
- The dates of consultancy (including preparation and report writing): 1 July 2023- 15 December 2023
- Background Introduction: South Africa grapples with corruption, poverty, conflict, and severe inequality, all of which undermine its mineral wealth. Women, especially those affected by the extractive industry, bear the burden of its costs while reaping minimal benefits. A UN Women policy brief on Gender Equality in the Extractive Industries in Africa highlighted a gender bias in the distribution of risks, costs, and benefits within the sector. If left unaddressed, this bias could further widen gender gaps in accessing resources and opportunities, trapping women affected by mining in cycles of poverty, inequality, and violence.
Despite women playing a crucial role in the country’s economic development, patriarchy, and gender inequality persist even after the advent of democracy in 1994. Women in mining-affected communities continue to face the triple challenge of patriarchy, economic exploitation, and racism.
While both women and men are impacted by mining in communities, women face social and political barriers that limit their full participation in the economy. They are less likely to be employed in mining operations and bear the costs of care work associated with pollution of the air and water. Often, they are smallholder farmers who lose their land to mining operations, leading to dire consequences such as social upheaval, lack of access to food and water, healthcare, and increased gender-based violence.
Women’s access to land, water, sexual reproductive health, and safety—both physical and psychological—is crucial for their economic and political freedom. These factors fundamentally shape a woman’s position in society and her ability to achieve economic self-reliance. Achieving full citizenship for women requires their political participation at the household, local, provincial, and national levels.
While the South African government has developed policies, legislation, and structures to promote women’s rights, their implementation has been disappointingly weak. Legislation has not resulted in a significant reduction in violence against women or improved economic opportunities for marginalized black women. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the reported cases of rape in 2019/2020 reached 42,289, and sexual assault totaled 7,749, with significant under-reporting of rape cases. Once again, the financial costs of gender-based violence are disproportionately borne by women.
Obstetric violence, although not extensively researched, is increasingly being recognized as a form of mistreatment endured by women during childbirth. This violence encompasses a range of problematic practices, including neglect, verbal and emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, lack of confidential and consensual care, and inappropriate or unnecessary medical interventions. However, medical practitioners have been resistant to acknowledging obstetric violence and its legal implications, fearing that routine medical treatments may be criminalized.
Addressing abuse in maternal healthcare settings through legal means should be seen as a response to the failure of the medical establishment to confront these issues and hold healthcare professionals and institutions accountable for unacceptable practices. This problem is particularly prevalent in public healthcare institutions serving low-income and poor communities.
It is essential to recognize the mistreatment of women and girls in maternity services as a form of gender violence that reflects the broader devaluation and normalization of violence against women and girls in society, particularly among marginalized and impoverished individuals.
WAMUA and MACUA have long fought for women and affected communities to be acknowledged as legitimate stakeholders who bear the costs of mining and its associated problems. However, women remain underrepresented and undervalued, experiencing the least benefits and paying the highest price for mining operations.
- Project Scope: From 2020 to 2022, the MACUA/WAMUA Advice Office collaborated with CALS on the “Nothing About Women Without Women” project. This project aimed to understand the legal aspects of gender-based violence (GBV) and obstetric violence (OV) in mining-affected communities while strengthening the political and economic empowerment of women at the community level. The project focused on building feminist leadership within WAMUA to advocate, lobby, and campaign for the full realization of women’s rights to equality, justice, safe homes, health, and water, irrespective of gender, race, or class.
Objectives:
- Enhance the understanding of women from 21 mining-affected communities regarding their rights related to GBV and OV, empowering them to demand the full realization of these rights at all levels.
- Strengthen WAMUA as a social movement with representation at the branch, provincial, and national levels.
- Conduct surveys across 21 mining-affected communities to determine the prevalence and forms of GBV and OV within WAMUA branches.
Activities conducted:
- Raising awareness of GBV in mining-affected communities.
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- Providing one-day training on Obstetric Violence as a form of gender violence in maternity services.
- Conducting two-day training sessions in 21 mining-affected communities, focusing on the laws governing Domestic Violence, Harassment, and Reporting Sexual Offenses.
- Offering institutional and technical assistance to support local WAMUA branches in reporting and monitoring cases.
- Conducting surveys and mapping the prevalence of GBV and its forms across 21 mining-affected communities.
2023 Focus: The main priority for 2023 is to compile the data collected from 1,763 mapping surveys conducted in 2021 and 2022 across 13 mining-affected communities. The findings will be summarized in a report that explores the nuances of GBV and OV within the extractive sector. This report will serve as an educational tool to raise awareness and empower WAMUA members by informing them of their rights.
Planned activities for 2023 include producing four brief documents that focus on key themes identified in the survey, which will be compiled into the comprehensive report. Additionally, activities will take place in each of the 13 targeted WAMUA branches:
- Monthly two-day online training on data analysis.
- Monthly two-day online training on writing techniques.
- A three-day writing retreat to draft the briefs.
- Drafting the full report, finalizing its layout and design, and printing it.
- National launch of the report with key stakeholders.
Target Area and Stakeholders: The project primarily engaged participants, mainly women, from seven provinces (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West, Gauteng, Northern Cape, and the Free State) across South Africa, with a focus on rural areas where mining has the greatest impact.
South Africa has an estimated population of 54 million, with 62% living in urban areas and 38% in rural areas. Approximately 58.9% of the population is female, and many rural populations are directly affected by mining operations. Conservative estimates suggest that over 6 million people are impacted by mining.
Poverty in South Africa remains racial and gendered, concentrated in traditional, urban informal, and rural settlements. Black South Africans, particularly women, experience the highest poverty levels. In rural communities, up to 69% of women live in poverty.
Unemployment rates range from 23% to 36%, with the majority of the unemployed (around 72%) being young people between 15 and 36 years old, with young black women being the most vulnerable.
- Context of Consultancy: To effectively strengthen WAMUA and address capacity constraints within the Advice Office, the services of a consultant are required to provide guidance and support for this work.
- Consultancy Outline: The consultant will assist with the following tasks:
- Establishing thematic working groups within WAMUA.
- Developing terms of reference for the working groups.
- Coordinating monthly online training sessions on data analysis with the working groups.
- Coordinating monthly online training sessions on writing techniques.
- Organizing a three-day writing retreat to draft the briefs.
- Finalizing the four briefs and arranging internal webinars to discuss their content.
- Drafting the full report, finalizing its layout and design, and overseeing its printing.
- Managing logistics for the national launch during the 16 Days of Activism.
- Developing a communications strategy for the report launch, including writing an op-ed piece and arranging radio and television interviews in collaboration with MWAO’s media officer.
- Assisting WAMUA in preparing for the national launch presentation and media engagements.
- Drafting the program for the national launch of the report and inviting key stakeholders
Methodology: The evaluation will employ a range of adapted methods, adopting a feminist human-rights-based approach and considering power dynamics, particularly related to women and girls. The evaluation will incorporate quantitative and qualitative aspects, involving review of surveys, participant observation, in-depth interviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, contextual analysis, writing workshops, webinars, and report launches.
Schedule: The project will commence on July 1, 2023. The consultant’s schedule should include the duration of preparatory activities, dates for monthly online trainings, the writing workshop, webinars, completion of the four briefs, the deadline for the (draft) report, submission and acceptance procedures, submission of the media plan for the report launch, and the launch date.
Report: The consultant, in collaboration with WAMUA working groups, will author the report. The report should include a. A brief summary outlining the evaluation objectives, procedure, main results, overall assessment, and key recommendations. b. Methodology section explaining the evaluation assignment and the selected methodology. c. Organizational context description. d. Findings section presenting data analysis on key issues identified in the survey. e. Conclusions providing an overall assessment of the surveyed issues and lessons learned. f. Recommendations addressing actors and prioritizing actions.
The report should also include a cover sheet, page numbers, a table of contents, a list of acronyms and abbreviations, and relevant annexes, such as the terms of reference, mission chronology, a list of interviewees, and documents used in the evaluation.
To apply, submit your CV, letter of motivation, and three contactable references to
Application close on 30 June 2023.
No late applications will be accepted.
Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview.
If you do not hear from the organisation within 15 days of the closing date, consider your application unsuccessful.