Colombia: Strengthening Women’s Leadership Role in Colombia’s Artisanal Gold Mining Sector

Mar 12, 2021 | Mirage News
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In Colombia, the gold mining industry has typically employed men, with women’s participation extremely low, reaching only 5% of the total. But in Chocó, where artisanal gold mining has taken place for centuries, women have a significantly higher participation rate, in some areas making up as much as 30% of the workforce. They have traditionally been involved as barequeras (those who wash the sand, a technique known as gold panning) or performing complementary activities, such as cooking and cleaning at the mining sites.