Colombian women forge path in emerald mining in an effort to escape poverty

Women equipped with power tools are working in Colombian emerald mines, challenging the traditional male dominance in the industry. Deep inside mountain tunnels where the heat is so intense it causes headaches, women with power tools are chipping away at boulders in search of gems. They have opened a difficult path for themselves in Colombia's emerald industry, a sector long dominated by men.

But we continue to struggle here for the dream of having a home with tiles on the floors, a place that smells good and where no one can kick me out,' she said. She lives in a precarious hillside house where the walls are unpainted and the floor is made of cement. Some of the biggest emeralds in the world have been mined in Colombia, including one weighing 3 pounds that broke the world record in 1995.

Her earnings are not enough to maintain her four children or help her father, who has developed a respiratory illness after working in emerald mines for decades and needs an oxygen tank to breathe. So she also works random jobs to make ends meet like washing uniforms, ironing clothes and cleaning homes. The 52-year-old said she has struggled to leave this way of life because the economy in Coscuez revolves around mining, and there are few other opportunities.

Colombia's government has already granted more than 900 titles to companies and individuals to exploit emerald mines. But according to the National Mining Agency, 576 requests are still under review, including those from small-scale miners. Luz Myriam Duarte Ramírez, president of the National Federation of Mines, said that her organization is backing the efforts of the Coscuez miners to be registered as artisanal miners, as well as the legalization of the five mines owned by women.

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Women blast through gender barriers in Colombia’s emerald minesDeep inside mountain tunnels in Colombia where the heat is so intense it causes headaches, women with power tools are chipping away at boulders in search of gems. They have opened a difficult path for themselves in the emerald industry, a sector long dominated by men. Some once believed that if women worked in the mines, the emeralds would hide.
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Women blast through gender barriers in Colombia's emerald mines, but struggle to emerge from povertyDeep inside mountain tunnels in Colombia where the heat is so intense it causes headaches, women with power tools are chipping away at boulders in search of gems
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