As the world gathers for COP-6 of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, we turn our attention to a side of chemical management that often goes unseen: gender.
Chemicals are everywhere, in our homes, workplaces, and communities. But their impacts are not the same for everyone. How do traditional gender roles secretly expose us to dangerous chemicals? And who, really, ends up shouldering the hidden risks?
In this episode of Voices Unveiled, we speak with Anna Holthaus, Project Lead for Gender and Chemicals at MSP Institute e.V., and Sherika Whitelocke-Ballingsingh, Board Member of the Gender and Chemicals Partnership and Poison Information Coordinator at the Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN), University of Technology, Jamaica to explore the often-missed links between gender, health, and chemicals, showing us exactly why a gender lens isn’t just nice to have. It is essential for creating a truly safe and equitable world.
𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬
Anna Holthaus is the project lead of the MSP Institute’s work on Gender and Chemicals, including the Gender & Chemicals Partnership, which MSP Institute serves as the Secretariat. Anna holds a Masters degree in Governing Sustainability from the City University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany, and a Bachelor in Environmental Sciences from Leuphana University, Lüneburg. She was a Board Member of Young Friends of the Earth Germany from 2012-2014, the youth representative on the scientific advisory board of Friends of the Earth Germany from 2014-2016 and co-founder of “ GeNaWerk ” – a young network for gender and sustainability – in 2016.
Connect with Anna on LinkedIn.
𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐚-𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡
Sherika Sterling Ballingsingh is the Poison Information Coordinator at the Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN), University of Technology, Jamaica, a position she has held for 12 years. Prior to this, she worked as a Public Health Inspector at Jamaica’s Ministry of Health. A 2015 Chevening Scholar, Sherika holds degrees in Environmental Health, Medical Toxicology, and Public Health. She is an active member of the Bureau of Standards Jamaica’s Paint and Surface Coating Committee and the Steering Committee of the International Pollutant Elimination Network (IPEN). Passionate about safeguarding children from poisoning, Sherika is a strong advocate for robust policies on chemicals and health. She champions these policies across Jamaica, the Caribbean, and in international forums, including UNEP processes, where she has been involved since 2018.
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