A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

Children Earning Their Own Money
Some adolescents earn money for themselves, particularly when they have migrated and
live alone. Still, this was not always enough to survive. Ibrahim K., 15, said:
The problem is having enough food. If we don't have enough gold, we don't
have enough money for food. Our team sells the gold to a dealer and we
share the money. 178
Adolescents have occasionally earned a significant amount of money, and kept some of it
for themselves. The prospect of earning money encouraged them to work in artisanal
mining, while they were largely unaware of the risks. One boy, Julani M., told us that he
once earned 30,000 CFA francs (about $65) in two days, and that he bought clothes with
the money. 179 Several adolescent girls told us proudly that they earned money. One of them,
Fatimata N. from Burkina Faso, said that she had once earned 80,000 CFA francs (about
$174), and kept a portion to buy herself clothes. She concluded: “The work is good for
me.” 180 Aïssatou S., 17, earned her own money and used it for her trousseau (clothes and
other items for a wedding). She said:
I have got a little bit of money from the gold. Since the start here, I have
earned about 40,000 CFA francs (about $87). I have bought clothes and
cups for my trousseau from it. 181
Some parents also occasionally rewarded their children with small amounts of money or a
decigram of gold. For example, Moussa S., who is six years old, sometimes gets 100 CFA
francs (about $0.21) as a gift from his father. 182
Children’s Exploitation by Guardians
According to the ILO, about 20 percent of children in artisanal mining work for adults
who are not their parents, such as an employer or a relative. This frequently results in
economic exploitation. 183
178 Human Rights Watch interview with Ibrahim K., age 15, Worognan, April 9, 2011.
179 Human Rights Watch interview with Julani M., estimated age 16, Worognan, April 8, 2011.
180 Human Rights Watch interview with Fatimata N., estimated age 15, Worognan, April 9, 2011. She sent most of the money
to her parents in Burkina Faso.
181 Human Rights Watch interview with Aïssatou S., age 17, Worognan, April 9, 2011.
182 Human Rights Watch interview with Moussa S., age six, Baroya, April 3, 2011; Human Rights Watch interview with
Hamidou S., estimated age eight, Baroya, April 3, 2011.
183 ILO, “Etude transfrontalière sur le travail des enfants dans l’orpaillage,” p. 58.
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