The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could be one of the richest countries worldwide as for its subterranean resources. However, it is one of the poorest due to exploitation, corruption, never-ending wars, as well as endemic gender-based violence. In the aftermath of the 90s conflict, due to the peak of unemployment that followed the torn apart agricultural sector and the closure of the national mining company Sominki, women entered the sole activity that could provide them with quick cash, such as the artisanal mining sector (AMS). Today, few people know that roughly 40% of the 2 million people involved in non-mechanized mining are women, who are themselves organised around a thousand associations that together form a wide national network. Although these organisations slightly differ one another, they all fight to improve the working conditions of the women miners and to raise awareness towards women's inalienable but often disregarded rights.

This gallery is the part of a web-documentary available online at www.womeninmining.it

The project has been realized thanks to the Innovation in Development Grand, offered by the European Journalism Fund.

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