Cheap Labour-This refers to
a situation where the workers are given remunerations that are not commensurate
with their labour input. In most cases such payments in privately owned enterprises
are lower than what prevails in most
public establishments because such workers do not have bargaining power.
Chronic Diseases- These are
health problems associated with occupational activities especially with mining
and more specifically quarry mining. The major occupational diseases /morbidity
are silicosis, musculoskeletal injuries, pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive
lung diseases, asbestosis, noise induced hearing loss. Other diseases that are
associated with mining include; serious respiratory problems; tuberculosis,
leukemia, arthritis, as well as reproductive problems.
Education- It means an
organized and sustained instruction, designed to communicate a combination of
knowledge, skills and understanding, valuable for all life action. Education is
an instrument for effecting social, economic, political, scientific and
technological advancement as well as improving the well-being of women.
Informal Sector- This refers to
working areas without the rigid work time schedule since the business is
usually privately owned. There is usually no strong authority structure and
specified time/hour of work as the owner (s) can decide at any time they want
the work to be done; whether day or night.
Lack of
professional skill: Professional
skill is a formalized training and development which is regarded as a
foundation for success at every organization. So here, these women in quarry mines of the developing
nations have no core professional skills necessary to function effectively.
They are involved in any manual job activities that exist in the mine. They
lack professional training, a certificate program and customized
professional skills that can make them
be in demand for better wages. And because they do not possess the professional
skills to function, they are manipulated and exploited by the mine owners.
Long Hours – This refers to a
situation where there are no fixed work time schedule and the workers could be
compelled to work beyond the normal working hours as in informal organized work
situations. In Nigeria in the formal sectors, there are specific work period
like 8.00am -4.00pm and as also obtainable in most public establishments. But
here, the long hours refers to the
irregular work timing in the unorganized small-scale quarry mines, where the
women quarry workers work beyond the formal
8 hours. As identified by the International Labour Organization ( 2007
), most of these women and others who work in the small-scale quarry mines work
in most cases from 10 through 14 hours or more , and most times work during the
night. This means that there is no regulated and defined hours of work.
Low
socio-economic status: The reference being reflected here is the economic
and social position of the rural women quarry workers in relation to their
income, education etc. Majority of these women are poor, because they receive
low income , that further reduce their economic stability. Because of their low
economic status, they are often subjected to physical and sexual exploitation
by the contractors, co-workers and other local men. It also lead to poor
working and living conditions, ill health, poor treatment, poor access to
medication. Women low socio-economic status is reflected in their holding the
lowest, unhealthiest , and most risky jobs, in their being unable to organize
and collectively bargain in their having no prospect for advancement.
Mining – Mining broadly
refers to the excavation of valuable mineral materials from the earth’s crust
and includes minerals of organic origin such as coal and petroleum. Most
substances that we get from the earth we obtain by mining. Mining provides iron
for making airplanes, automobiles, and refrigerators. Mines also supply salt
for food, gold, silver and diamond for jewelry, stone for buildings, phosphate
for fertilizer; and gravel for highways.
Occupational illness: This refers to the health
problems attached to ones engagement to an occupation. In this case, it is the
health hazards that are associated with women’s participation in the
small-scale quarry mining, especially as there are no safe measures in the
developing nations where most of these mines are located.
Patriarchal
Industry-
This is a situation where the unorganized mining sites are owned and dominated
by men, giving power and importance to them and thereby creating undue
privileges for the men. The patriarchal nature of the small-scale quarry mining
in the rural areas of the developing nations with the involvement of the rural poor women show that they can
only appear there as daily labourers. Srivastava ( 2005) observed in India and other
parts of the developing areas, that men own and run 90 percent of the mining
activities as majority of the rural women have low economic opportunities to
operate such activities.
Quarrying – Quarry is
squared stones, hence quarrying was initially applied to the mining of
dimension (Cut) stone. More recently quarrying has been used to refer to the
mining of several types of non-metallic rock from shallow to open-pit mines.
All
three types of rocks are quarried – Igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. The
most common igneous rock is granite; several sedimentary rocks are quarried;
marble, quartzite, and slate are common metamorphic types. The two products of
quarrying are dimension stone and crushed stone. A quarry is a type of open
–pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally
used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stones,
construction aggregate ,riprap, sand,
and gravel.
Sexual
Exploitation of Women:
Where women are placed in a situation or position where they are taken
advantage of sexually because of their inability to resist the contact, or are
placed in a position where they become dependent on the perpetrator. The
creating avenues for this act to be carried out include economic injustices,
disparities of wealth within and beyond the cites. Women especially in poverty
dominated areas like Nigeria have less access to power, material wealth, and
protection and so have used sex (in prostitution and various other domains) as
the ‘bartering chip’ to gain access. And because these women in the mine pit
currently have no other option, they give in to the demands of the men in
charge sexually.
Unfavorable
working condition: This
is concerned with the harsh realities that the women quarry workers, especially
in the developing nations face. Here, these women are faced with heavy workload
and at the same time have a very low social support to help stabilize their
well-being in these areas. Equally at the mines, their working condition
involve potential hazards to their health and safety, involving possible
physical risk most times. In the case of quarry mines, it involves , heat,
painful and tiring position, serious risk of injury, chronic illness and atimes
death. They also work long hours , inhale harmful dust etc.
Unorganized
sector: This is the
informal sector which in most cases is privately owned, unincorporated
enterprises, which in this case is the privately owned small-scale quarry mines
that have no formalized order of work activity. And in the case of the
developing areas, when this kind of work exists, are allowed to operate without
checks and proper regulations from the authorities or other bodies. Also in
this unorganized quarry mines there is no regular system of data availability.
Well-being-This refers to a
contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous. A state in which the
quality of life of women quarry miners are measured in a broader; social,
physical and economic effects quarry
mining has on their health. Another important aspect of well-being includes the
utilization of the resources available to satisfy the wants of the daily life
of these women.