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Women lead the struggle against mining and machismo in Guatemala

For over two years, the small community of San José del Golfo have maintained a 24-hour barricade against the mine that threatens to destroy their land and water.

By Jeff Abbott
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This article was originlly published by Waging Nonviolence.

Guatemalan Human Rights Commission.
Guatemalan Human Rights Commission.

Yolanda Oquelí stands between the National Police and the mine entrance. Credit: Guatemalan Human Rights Commission.

In late December 2014, the social movement turned political party, Western Peoples Council, released a list of all mining concessions across Guatemala. According to their data, which was obtained through the Ministry of Energy and Mining, and the National Council of Protected Areas, there are 990 permits for the exploration or exploitation of mineral resources in the country, 115 of which are for metallic resources such as gold, silver and copper.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0