Dig Deep Gender Based Violence And What It Means For The Mining Industry
Today we’re taking on a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough airtime: gender-based violence, or GBV, and what it means for mining’s culture, safety, and future.
Joining me are three people who’ve helped bring this issue into sharper focus recently and their recent collaboration on The Intelligent Miner opened up a powerful and, at times, uncomfortable conversation about how mining can — and must — do better.
Carly Leonida, founder and editor of The Intelligent Miner; Abbi Buxton, an independent consultant who partners with organisations across the resource sector, including mining companies, to tackle GBV and advance equality in workplaces and communities and Mahmood Sonday, Managing Director at Reos Partners, a global advisory firm that helps organisations address systemic challenges. He has worked with numerous mining companies to develop and implement strategies to successfully tackle GBV and harassment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The mining sector has a strong culture that can hinder open discussions about GBV. There is a need for leadership commitment to change this culture, which includes creating an environment where employees feel safe to speak up
- Tackling GBV requires a collaborative approach that involves not only mining companies but also governments, civil society, and communities
- Companies must go beyond relying solely on formal grievance mechanisms to understand the prevalence and nature of GBV within their organisations
- Addressing GBV is not a one-time project but requires sustained effort and commitment
BEST MOMENTS
- "Gender-based violence is a human rights violation and I think often we forget that."
- "The impacts of violence against women and girls amounts to something like 2% of global GDP every year, which is quite staggering when you think about it."
- "The road to hell is paved with good intentions and bad incentives."
- "It's not hard to imagine how these things that we might think are unadministrative or bureaucratic can lead to incidents of violence in the home or at work."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Mail: rob@mining-international.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast
Web: http://www.mining-international.org
● Intelligent Miner article: https://theintelligentminer.com/2025/07/16/silence-breeds-shame-why-the-mining-industry-needs-to-keep-talking-about-and-acting-upon-gender-based-violence/
● Intelligent Miner homepage: https://theintelligentminer.com/
● Carly's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyleonida/
● Abbi's LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/abbi-buxton-67bba433
● Abbi's Email: abbi@abbibuxtonconsulting.com
● https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/theme
● Abbi's Briefing Paper: https://www.iied.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2025-03/22610iied.pdf
● Mahmood's LinkedIn profile: http://linkedin.com/in/mahmoodsonday
● Mahmood's Email: sonday@reospartners.com
● https://reospartners.com/blog/gbv-positive-corporate-culture
CONTACT METHOD
rob@mining-international.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
Podcast Description
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/