Jennifer Adams focuses on proactive strategies to tackle gender-based violence in mostly male-populated mining workplaces and leads with an unexpected tool: financial literacy. She shares her work at Catalyst Plus (a globally active Canadian Economic Development Organization), emphasizing successes built using a broad view that includes women at mine sites, in government, in communities, and in the supply chain.

Key Points:

Proactive vs. Reactive: The discussion highlights the importance of proactive measures to ensure women’s safety in the workplace.

Unique Mine Sites: Each mine site requires a tailored strategy, considering its specific context, such as addressing financial literacy to prevent violence in isolated communities.

Building Understanding: Creating a common understanding of what constitutes harassment and providing spaces for open discussion is crucial for preventing issues.

Community Engagement: The company’s contribution is key to the success by funding the work, communicating the work that was being done, building understanding, and creating space for dialogue.

Importance of Women’s Voices: It is important to ensure that women’s voices are heard, their needs and their experiences are heard and then taken into account into the impact benefit agreements or when working on policy or mind closure plans.

Cultural Context: Integrating cultural considerations and involving local consultants is essential for effective communication and implementation of strategies.