Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 58
Paragraph- Paragraph text
- Children work without any training, safety equipment or protection. They are exposed to heat, noise, toxic metals and hazardous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide. Mercury is used in the extraction of gold in artisanal mining areas. As children are sometimes regarded as less suitable to labour intensive work, they are often given work in mercury amalgamation. As children do not wear any protective equipment, they absorb mercury through their hands and inhale it when it burns. The mercury impacts on: the nervous system of the child resulting in uncontrollable tremors - particularly in the face; their emotional well-being as they become prone to mood swings and irritability; their neuromuscular system leading to muscle atrophy, twitching, headaches and changes in nerve responses; and their cognitive functions are impaired. If exposed to higher levels of mercury, this affects the kidneys and can result in respiratory failure and death. Mercury has been found in the bodies of children working in artisanal gold mines in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Peru, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Paragraph type
- Other
- Paragraph number
- 58
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