A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

Some child laborers get paid. Pay is irregular, varies greatly, and is based on the amount of
gold mined. 173 Most commonly, child laborers give the money to their parents or guardians,
to add to the family income. Of 17 children who told us that they were earning money, 13
had to give it to their parents or guardians. 174
When parents are not present, children sometimes earn money to send it to them. One
such child was Nanfadima A., 11, who said:
I live in Tabakoto with my uncle, the younger brother of my father. My
parents are at another gold mine, further away.… I take the gold and bring it
to the trader in Tabakoto. I give the money to my father. I get 2,000 or 3,000
CFA francs (about US$4.36 to US$6.54) for one piece of gold, say, two times
per week. 175
A 15-year-old boy, Abdoulaye M., also sent money home:
I have come to earn money in Baroya. My parents are in Manantali, they
told me to come here and look for money. So my older brother brought me
here and he comes [regularly] to pick up the money that I have earned. 176
Another boy, Tiémoko K., 15, also earned money for his parents who lived far away. He was
subjected to the same exploitative rules as adult artisanal miners, having to give twothirds
of his ore to another gold miner who is considered the owner of the shaft:
My parents are in Kita, I have come here to Baroya with the help of a friend
of my father. I am here to earn money for my parents. I have been here
about 12 months. I earn between 3,000 and 4,000 CFA francs (about $6.54
to $8.73) a day. … I work for the owners of shafts. For every three bags we
pull out, I get one. 177
173 This was also the finding in a regional study: Save the Children, “Recherche sur les enfants travailleurs,” p. 51. It found
that children “do not receive a salary but a meager amount depending on the mood of the employer.”
174 This included two children who were told to earn money for school materials.
175 Human Rights Watch interview with Nanfadima A., estimated age 11, Tabokoto, April 2, 2011. It was not clear whether her
father picked up the money or how she otherwise sent him the money.
176 Human Rights Watch interview with Abdoulaye M., age 15, Baroya, April 3, 2011.
177 Human Rights Watch interview with Tiémoko K., age 15, Baroya, April 3, 2011.
43 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | DECEMBER 2011