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Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The examples below demonstrate that a multistakeholder approach involving the community, local government, NGOs and United Nations agencies is essential in combating the phenomenon of child slavery in mining and quarrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Consequently, mining and quarrying communities often have a high rate of STIs (such as HIV and AIDS), teenage pregnancies and single-parent households. Chemical contamination from artisanal mining can be a risk to an unborn child or breastfeeding children.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The growth of children is often stunted as a result of carrying heavy loads of stones, sand and gravel. These children also complain of exhaustion and muscle pain in the arms, shoulders and legs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Lead, the mineral, is also used in the extraction of gold and impacts on the neurological development of children. In 2010, the World Health Organization found lead poisoning in Nigerian children (some younger than 5 years) as a result of working directly in the extraction of gold and environmental lead contamination. Local villagers had noticed a high number of deaths and convulsions in young children, which is believed to be associated with the use of lead in gold-mining.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Children working in this sector commonly suffer respiratory illnesses such as silicosis due to the inhaling of rock dust. Many children are injured, disabled and sometimes die as a result of: the collapse of mine walls or roofs; handling explosives or drilling equipment; and using crude tools. These health risks may occur immediately or long after the children have been working in this sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Artisanal mines are often based in remote places which make it easy for armed groups to control. For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, armed groups force both adults and accompanied and unaccompanied children to work in artisanal mines to extract minerals such as gold and coltan. Coltan is used in the manufacture of products such as mobile phones, laptops and rechargeable batteries. The minerals are then sold to fund the activities of the armed groups (A/HRC/13/63, para. 21).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Lastly, unregulated artisanal mines and quarries pose serious medium- and long-term risks to food security and the environment. They are the cause of rapid deforestation, destruction of landscape, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Water, soil and air contamination occur as a result of: cyanide and mercury poisoning; direct dumping of tailings and effluents into rivers; river siltation; and river damage in alluvial areas. Children drinking, cooking and washing in contaminated water face immediate and long-term risks to their health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- To mine underwater, children dive into open muddy wells, which are normally 2 metres wide and 7 metres deep. Wearing crude eye masks which inhibit their vision and with the aid of oxygen from a compressor, the children extract soil in the hope that it contains gold. The children work for 3-5 hours underwater in a squatting position anchoring themselves with their elbows or knees. They face the risk of asphyxiation and suffocation underwater. This type of mining has been reported in places like Philippines (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The current financial crisis has seen demand in investments such as property fall and, with inflation on the rise and the lack of confidence in paper money, demand for gold has seen a huge increase. As of April 2011, the price of gold hit a record high of $1,466 per ounce. Additionally, the increased usage of mobile phones has resulted in the increased international demand and price for coltan. International demand for minerals leads families and children to "rush" to work in this sector because they see this as a quick way to informally make money (see A/HRC/18/51).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery 2013, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Another vulnerable group of workers are Pallaris, women who work outside the mines separating out minerals from piles of dirt. Interviews with in-country labour experts indicate that Pallaris generally lack formal work contracts, are paid at piece rates set by mineral brokers and must obtain authorization from the mine owners or administrators to work outside the mines. This authorization can be rescinded at any time, which makes Pallaris extremely vulnerable. Sometimes Pallaris are forced to provide sexual favours or do additional work to obtain or maintain their authorization. Children often work alongside their mothers or in the gold mines themselves. Children as young as 8 have been known to work underground with their fathers, small children are often sent down small mine shafts, and children are made to carry extremely heavy loads and exposed to toxic chemicals in gold extraction and processing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- In order to influence market forces and encourage ethical demand of minerals, initiatives such as the Fairtrade and Fairmined Standard for Gold from Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, including Associated Precious Metals have been started. This initiative is led by the Alliance for Responsible Mining and the world renown, Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. This standard aims to promote, among other things, human rights, the elimination of children working in this sector, the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining and traceability of the mineral produced. The standard is currently being used by artisanal and small-scale mining communities in Latin America and scoping studies are being done to check the feasibility of using the standard in Africa and Asia.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur highlights the following five challenges in eradicating child slavery in artisanal mining and quarrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The overall majority of children who work in artisanal mining and quarrying are boys. However, the number of boys and girls working in mines varies from country to country. In countries like Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania, the majority of children working in the mines are boys. Furthermore, in countries like the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, as a result of cultural beliefs, girls are normally not allowed to enter mines or work outside the mines processing the ore and sifting the mineral from the slag (see E/C.12/MDG/CO/2). However, in Mongolia, the majority of children who work under the age of 13 are girls.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 58
- 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.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Children working in mines are physically and economically exploited, as they are required to spend long hours in poorly lit and ventilated underground mines for little or no payment. When they are paid, children performing the same tasks as adults are paid less than adults. These makeshift mines may run to over 80 metres underground and, in some instances, can only accommodate the width of children who crawl to excavate the ore. Children also set explosives to blast rock underground and carry heavy loads of ore to the surface. Children who do not work inside a mine may be found digging for long hours in rivers beds, shifting through sand or silt and then carrying heavy loads of mud on their heads or backs for further processing. The long hours working outside, without proper clothing or shelter results in exposure to extreme heat, cold, dryness and moisture.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Children working in the mines and quarries are vulnerable to physical, sexual, moral and social harm. Artisanal mining and quarrying is inherently informal and illegal -as either it costs too much to get the legal permit to mine or there is no need to get a permit as the law is not enforced. These "frontier communities" are riddled with violence, crime, trafficking in young girls and women for sexual exploitation, prostitution, drug and alcohol use (ibid.). There have been reports that children are given drugs so that they are able to fearlessly extract minerals underground or underwater. Children also take drugs and alcohol in the belief that it makes them stronger and as a result of peer pressure. The drug abuse (particularly amphetamines and marijuana) and alcohol (commercial and/or local brew) destroy their health and keep them in the vicious circle of poverty. Children who arrive alone to work in this sector are even more vulnerable to abuses (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Children often start performing the same tasks as adults more regularly and full time from the age of 12 years (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.1). By the time they are adolescents, children work in the actual extraction of minerals underground, underwater or on the surface. These children are also likely to work in the separation, processing and transportation of the minerals. The children face the same risks as adults but lack the same strength and judgement to protect themselves from harm. The effects that this work has on children are much more severe than for adults because of their anatomical, physiological and psychological development, which places them in a situation of increased vulnerability. Tools and safety equipment, when available, have been designed for adults and to correspond to the measurement of children. Children also work very long hours with little or no pay.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Child slavery in the artisanal mining and quarrying sector 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Small-scale mining and quarrying occurs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. As a result of the remoteness of mines and quarries and their informal and illegal nature, it is hard to provide exact statistics on the number of children working in this sector. Additionally, as in many other instances of contemporary forms of slavery, the victims are not visible. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are at least 1 million children working in mining and quarrying whereas, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that there are 1-2 million children working in artisanal small-scale mining alone. Although estimates of the number of children working in this sector may vary, what is clear is that the numbers are likely to increase as a result of higher prices and demand for minerals from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries and emerging economies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
18 shown of 18 entities