Swamp Women by Benjamin Guez (0 images)

Thousands of women affected by the violence plaguing the countryside of the Pacific coast of Colombia today depend on the capture of
piangua shellfish for their families' survival. As a consequence of the forced displacement of hundreds of households now lacking
alternative employment and food sources, many have no other choice but to work long hours in swampy mangroves trying to collect piangua. The
strong demand for this shellfish in Ecuador and Peru has the species on the...
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Thousands of women affected by the violence plaguing the countryside of the Pacific coast of Colombia today depend on the capture of
piangua shellfish for their families' survival. As a consequence of the forced displacement of hundreds of households now lacking
alternative employment and food sources, many have no other choice but to work long hours in swampy mangroves trying to collect piangua. The
strong demand for this shellfish in Ecuador and Peru has the species on the brink of extinction and according to biologists, it could
disappear in the next two years if the over-exploitation continues. At the same time thousands of women will find themselves jobless and the
region may face a social-environmental collapse.
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