Women in Artisanal Mining have criticised President Akufo-Addo's endorsement of the burning of mining equipment belonging to small scale miners.

According to the group, the stance taken by the president is lawless and disappointing.

President Akufo-Addo has said members of the anti-galamsey task force are right to burn equipment belonging to illegal miners while urging affected miners who disagree with government to proceed to court.

Addressing a press conference at Akyem-Anyinam in the Eastern region, the Women in mining, however said the statement by the President was in bad taste.

Elizabeth Amponsah, an executive member of the group, said they are not illegal miners and therefore should not be treated as such.

"The President has opened the way for us. He is a lawyer and he knows that what he is saying is not right but he is asking the miners to go to court when he knows that it is not in the mining act. The work of Operation Halt should not affect us because we are not the people doing the wrong work, it is the illegal miners who are being supported by the politicians.

Some are hairdressers, shoe shoe shiners ,we know them but we are not here to point out. When we went for the dialogue our acting CEO said it that they know all the illegal miners," she stated.

According to them, destroying mining equipment on water bodies rather poses a big danger to the water bodies through the sinking of chanfans, spillage of oil, fuel and mercury.

The National Women's coordinator, Victoria Adobea Guerrieri called on the military to find better ways to dismantle excavators and chanfans to prevent further pollution.

"Despite the commendable effort of the military in the curbing of pollution of water bodies and forest reserves, their actions are rather creating more pollution in the rivers, the land and airspace. The destruction of these equipment on water bodies is worsening it by the spillage of oil, fuel, mercury into our water bodies. Most children in the communities take pleasure in swimming in these water bodies.

Sinking of these equipment poses a big danger and hazard to them. We Artisanal Women in Mining (ASWIM) and the Kolikoli women, as mothers are pleading with the Ghana Armed Forces that the better method is to bring them off to shore and drain them of their fluid to prevent further pollution," she explained.

Clad in red armed bands and head gear, the group which accused government of using the military to intimidate legal small scale miners, called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Minerals Commission who have the factual information on their activities, to intervene.

According to them, the seizure of their legal means of work is gradually making members to resort to criminal activities in mining communities in order to fend for themselves and their families.

"We women in artisanal mining and our Kolikoli women are pleading with the President the Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor and all frontline officials to immediately allow the legal small scale miners to get back to our site so we can find our means of living," she appealed.

They say the clampdown has affected them financially, physically and emotionally and it is gradually increasing social vices in mining communities as members are now seeking other means to fend for themselves and their families.