Women against the grain – Beneath the Sands ERC

In a trade that is dominated and driven by men, women often bear the burden of the negative social and environmental impacts from sand mining activities across the world. This is evident in much of our reporting on the global industry. As is common with many environmental issues we face today, we feel that the disproportionate burden to women is a heavily underreported issue.

Across our reporting, women are depicted as front runners in protests against large-scale — and often, illicit — mining operations. As farmers, mothers, family care-givers, fishers, landowners and more, the women we met and interviewed are acutely aware of how the sand mining industry can hinder their community lands and livelihoods. 

In this series, the Environmental Reporting Collective highlights examples from Cambodia, India, Kenya and Indonesia in which mining projects have hindered women’s rights, resulting in increased gender inequality and the further marginalization and abuse of women. We also share stories of women on the frontlines of sand mining, showcasing how they are playing an active role in the resistance against mining activities. 

Our hope in sharing these lived experiences is to contribute to a broader perspective on environmental justice…

CAMBODIA:
The Wooden House

This comic has been illustrated based on interviews with Sok Lang and her family and six other residents of Ta Ek commune in December 2022…

INDIA:
The Mother’s of Mohar

This comic has been illustrated based on interviews with the six arrested women and several other residents of Arhatpur in December 2022. Visuals of handcuffing and arrest from February 2022 have also been referenced…