A18 |THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER |...
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The shaft ends in a cramped, pitch-dark pit. The bottom widens a bit to reveal a tiny, wedge-shaped crevice. In the darkness, sitting cross-legged with a flashlight strapped to his head, is a small boy. He chinks at the rock walls with a handmade pickax and scoops the shards into a large green bucket. His hands never stop moving — scooping and chipping, chipping and scooping. The older boys call him Théophile. They say he is 7 years old. The United Nations’ International Labor Orga- nization estimates that as many as a million children between ages 5 and 17 work in the small-scale gold mines of Africa for as little as $2 a day. In the African Sahel, a semiarid region that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea across parts of Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Niger, 30 percent to 50 percent of small-scale mine workers are children, accord- ing to ILO estimates. Child labor is against the law in Burkina Faso, where last year the govern- ment announced a plan to significantly reduce the numbers of exploited children by 2015. But enforcement is lacking. The U.S. Department of Labor also is funding a four-year, $5 million project in Burkina Faso, one of the world’s poorest nations, to reduce child labor in cotton farming and gold mining. The grant will be used to help raise awareness about child labor laws and build government capacity to monitor and enforce the laws, said Eric Biel, acting associate deputy undersecretary for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The project aims to help 1,000 households and 10,000 children avoid “exploitative child labor” by offering schooling, financing, and al- ternative employment. Child labor in the gold mines here is so preva- lent — and so obvious — that the U.S. govern- ment prohibits its agencies and contractors from buying the gold directly from Burkina Faso. The prohibition, however, does not extend to private dealers. Observers say porous borders, which facili- tate black-market trades, and the very nature of the world gold supply chain make tracking gold mined in Burkina Faso almost impossible. Fur- thermore, federal purchases of gold from legiti- mate international sellers do not necessarily preclude some of the gold originating here. The Canada-based Artisanal Gold Council, which is working to implement tracking sys- tems and promote fair-trade policies, says there are no hard data to pinpoint whether gold mined by children in Burkina Faso reaches the United States or ends up in jewelry purchased by Americans. Anthony Persaud, a policy and field operations coordinator for the council, says it is “unlikely” but not out of the question. Burkina Faso does not refine its gold but sells it through exporters to refiners in Dubai and Europe, he says. From there the gold enters the world supply chain. “The thing about gold, you can fit $50,000 of it in your pocket without anybody noticing,” says CHILD LABOR from A1 See CHILD LABOR on A19 Atlantic Ocean AFRICA Area of map above N MILES 0 200 ALGERIA MAURITANIA NIGER Ouagadougou NIGERIA IVORY COAST GHANA GUINEA GAMBIA SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA WESTERN SAHARA GUINEA BISSAU BENIN TOGO SENEGAL Niger River MALI Burkina Faso Population: 17,812,961 (July 2013 est.) Pop. below 46.7% poverty line (2009 est.) Labor force 90% agriculture The Philadelphia Inquirer SOURCE: CIA World Factbook A child reacts to one of the makeshift, ore-crushing machines that frequently spew clouds of dust, which coats the children from their heads to their bare feet. Water is scarce, so the children use the bilge water from the machines to wash their faces and brush their teeth. Children fetch water from the bottom of a 25-foot well. At the surface, they use the water to pan for gold. When not working, they sleep, oblivious to deafening noises around them. Gripping knotted ropes, Joseph, 15, and Germain, 12, work their way down a hand-dug, 150-foot-deep mine shaft near Kollo, a mining village near Tiébélé, Burkina Faso. The rock-grinding machines are ramshackle contraptions put together with pulleys, belts, and spinning motors with the power to rip and shred anything caught in their works. Amidou Zuretnaba, 3, rests his head on the thigh of his father, a miner at the Fandjora mining area. Child labor is against the law in Burkina Faso, but enforcement is lacking. The ills are many. Children who work are not in school. A18 | THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER | SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013 C | INQUIRER.COM
Transcript of A18 |THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER |...
The shaft ends in a cramped, pitch-dark pit. Thebottom widens a bit to reveal a tiny, wedge-shapedcrevice. In the darkness, sitting cross-legged with aflashlight strapped to his head, is a small boy. Hechinks at the rock walls with a handmade pickaxand scoops the shards into a large green bucket.His hands never stop moving — scooping andchipping, chipping and scooping. The older boyscall him Théophile. They say he is 7 years old.
The United Nations’ International Labor Orga-nization estimates that as many as a millionchildren between ages 5 and 17 work in thesmall-scale gold mines of Africa for as little as$2 a day. In the African Sahel, a semiarid regionthat stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to theRed Sea across parts of Mali, Ghana, BurkinaFaso, and Niger, 30 percent to 50 percent ofsmall-scale mine workers are children, accord-ing to ILO estimates. Child labor is against thelaw in Burkina Faso, where last year the govern-ment announced a plan to significantly reducethe numbers of exploited children by 2015. Butenforcement is lacking.
The U.S. Department of Labor also is funding afour-year, $5 million project in Burkina Faso, oneof the world’s poorest nations, to reduce childlabor in cotton farming and gold mining. Thegrant will be used to help raise awareness aboutchild labor laws and build government capacityto monitor and enforce the laws, said Eric Biel,acting associate deputy undersecretary for theBureau of International Labor Affairs.
The project aims to help 1,000 householdsand 10,000 children avoid “exploitative childlabor” by offering schooling, financing, and al-ternative employment.
Child labor in the gold mines here is so preva-lent — and so obvious — that the U.S. govern-ment prohibits its agencies and contractorsfrom buying the gold directly from BurkinaFaso. The prohibition, however, does not extendto private dealers.
Observers say porous borders, which facili-tate black-market trades, and the very nature ofthe world gold supply chain make tracking goldmined in Burkina Faso almost impossible. Fur-thermore, federal purchases of gold from legiti-mate international sellers do not necessarilypreclude some of the gold originating here.
The Canada-based Artisanal Gold Council,which is working to implement tracking sys-tems and promote fair-trade policies, says thereare no hard data to pinpoint whether goldmined by children in Burkina Faso reaches theUnited States or ends up in jewelry purchasedby Americans. Anthony Persaud, a policy andfield operations coordinator for the council,says it is “unlikely” but not out of the question.
Burkina Faso does not refine its gold but sellsit through exporters to refiners in Dubai andEurope, he says. From there the gold enters theworld supply chain.
“The thing about gold, you can fit $50,000 of itin your pocket without anybody noticing,” says
CHILD LABOR from A1
See CHILD LABOR on A19
AtlanticOcean
AFRICA
Area ofmap above
NMILES
0 200
ALGERIA
MAURITANIA
NIGER
Ouagadougou
NIGERIA
IVORYCOAST
GHANA
GUINEA
GAMBIA
SIERRALEONE
LIBERIA
WESTERNSAHARA
GUINEABISSAU
BENIN
TOGO
SENEGALNigerRiver
MALI
Burkina Faso
Population: 17,812,961(July 2013 est.)
Pop. below 46.7%poverty line (2009 est.)
Labor force 90% agriculture
The Philadelphia Inquirer
SOURCE: CIA World Factbook
A child reacts to one of the makeshift, ore-crushingmachines that frequently spew clouds of dust, which coatsthe children from their heads to their bare feet. Water isscarce, so the children use the bilge water from themachines to wash their faces and brush their teeth.
Children fetch water from the bottomof a 25-foot well. At the surface, theyuse the water to pan for gold. Whennot working, they sleep, oblivious to
deafening noises around them.
Gripping knotted ropes, Joseph, 15, and Germain, 12, work their way down a hand-dug, 150-foot-deep mine shaft near Kollo, a mining village near Tiébélé, Burkina Faso.
The rock-grindingmachines are
ramshacklecontraptions put
together withpulleys, belts,and spinning
motors with thepower to rip
and shredanything caught
in their works.
AmidouZuretnaba, 3,rests his headon the thighof his father, aminer at theFandjora miningarea. Child laboris against the lawin Burkina Faso,but enforcementis lacking.
The illsare many.Childrenwho workare notin school.
A18 | THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER | SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2013 C | INQUIRER.COM
