MIT D-Lab Empowers Colombian Women Miners

In Colombia, the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector is critical to the country's economy, accounting for around 60 percent of gold extraction. A gang of women known as "las chatarreras" has been working ceaselessly in this region to scavenge and recover boulders and tailings dumped by male miners. They do, however, confront a number of obstacles, including a lack of formal recognition and the possibility of gender-based violence.

To address these concerns, MIT D-Lab launched a project in 2020 to empower these women and assist them in developing a labor movement aimed at eliminating gender-based violence and environmental damage. The technique of creative capacity building, which supports community-driven invention and solutions, is central to this initiative.

Because the Colombian government does not legally recognize chatarreras as workers, they are unable to sell their gold at market value. They frequently have to bargain with middlemen who may impose sexual pressure. These ladies frequently work in dangerous settings while carrying little infants.

The foundation of "Mujeres Mineras Unidas por Colombia (MMUC)," a national organization devoted to attaining gender equality in the mining industry, was a notable success of the D-Lab project. MMUC is devoted to achieving equitable access to minerals, livelihood possibilities, and the abolition of physical and economic gender abuse.

The initiative had a second meeting in April 2023, bringing together more than 148 female miners from 17 Colombian towns, as well as representatives from several colleges and mining organizations. The female leaders initiated a collaborative method to address challenges such as hazardous mercury levels in mines, proposing solutions such as cultivating plants that may help remove mercury from water.

Aida Luz Mosquera, an MMUC leader, noted the movement's tremendous positive developments in her life. She is currently working in workshop facilitation and empowering other miners.

The project involves formalizing the recognition of women artisanal miners with the Colombian government, and it aspires to develop a formalization procedure that is accessible to all women artisanal miners in Colombia by January 2024, with the help of grants and partnerships. This project is a critical step toward achieving gender equality and environmental sustainability in Colombia's mining sector.