Cecilia Reátegui Olguín is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) at The University of Queensland (UQ). Her PhD topic ‘Empowerment Programs and Initiatives: Opportunities to Reduce Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG)’, observes how distinct development actors construct and implement their programs in rural communities, and how these are perceived and applied by program participants. The research focuses on understanding how empowerment programs, and which types of programs, best affect changing gendered power relations and GBV in remote patriarchal communities near a large extractive project. The research, by focusing on both the development actors’ and the participant’s experiences and expectations seeks to recognise how these undertakings can become more sustainable in addressing gendered social relations. Cecilia is being supervised by Principal Advisor Dr Jo Anne Everingham at CSRM and Associate Advisor Dr Nicole George at the School of Political Sciences and International Studies, UQ.
Prior to commencing her PhD at CSRM, Cecilia began her work experience at URS, Brisbane (currently AECOM) as a Graduate Social Scientist carrying out Social Impact Assessments, Social Impact Management Plans, and stakeholder engagement in the Queensland region, mainly focusing on Coal Seam Gas and coal projects. Cecilia later joined CSRM as a Research Analyst, where she worked on various research projects as part of multi-disciplinary teams for large extractive companies and international organisations. Topics included: cumulative impacts of coal, resettlement action plans, socio-economic impacts of proposed mining projects and active developments, gender analysis, and indigenous rights (FPIC). She also completed literature reviews on various subjects, including mining induced resettlement, gender based violence in resource rich countries, the cost of social unrest on the extractive industry and government, and applying corporate social responsibility into project procedures and monitoring. After two years at CSRM Cecilia embarked on her PhD program through the same centre.
Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Cecilia moved to Brisbane in 2007 to commence an undergraduate degree in Political Sciences and International Relations at The University of Queensland. She then completed a Masters of International Relations at Griffith University.
Cecilia speaks fluent English and Spanish, and is learning Tok Pisin. She has been completing the PhD externally from PNG where she resides for past three years, while conducting occasional consultancy work.