A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

One such case was Boubacar S., who lived with guardians. His biological parents were
working somewhere else, and placed him with a family with whom they were acquainted.
Boubacar said he earns about 1,000 CFA francs (about US$2.18) per day and has to hand
over his earnings to his guardian immediately. He told us in tears:
I was at school but my stepfather took me out. I left school about six
months ago, at the beginning of the school year. On Mondays my stepfather
requires me to make bricks. On other days, I work in the mine and give all
the earnings to my stepfather. I get about 1,000 CFA francs per day. I give it
all immediately to my stepfather…. I transport the ore from the shaft to the
place where they put it into sacks. I use the cart with the donkey for this.… I
was first or second in class together with another girl. I liked school…. There
was also a problem that my step-parents had not paid the school fees. So I
had to repeat second grade because of that, not because I was doing badly
in school… The work is hard. I often have belly aches and headaches. I feel
that the work is too much for me ... because of the weight. I am often bent
over.… My parents are [gold miners] in another village…. My stepfather
treats me as if I am not a human being. 184
Boubacar’s teacher confirmed that the boy was treated badly by his stepfather. The
stepfather had told him that he would not pay the school fees if the child refused to do the
work he asked him to do. 185
Mariam D., the girl in Worognan who was very upset that her stepmother was taking the
money she earned told Human Rights Watch:
My stepmother takes all the money they pay for me.… I don’t get any money
from the work, my stepmother gets it. She doesn’t give me anything. 186
Trafficking
Conditions for child trafficking are ripe in Mali’s artisanal mines because of exploitative
labor conditions, as described above. Children who migrate without parents and work for
other adults are particularly vulnerable to trafficking. According to the ILO, about two-
184 Human Rights Watch interview with Boubacar S., estimated age 14, Sensoko, April 4, 2011. Boubacar first described his guardian
as “father,” then later explained that he was a guardian and not the biological father, and went on to call him a “stepfather”.
185 Human Rights Watch interview with teacher from Sensoko, Kéniéba, April 2, 2011
186 Human Rights Watch interview with Mariam D., estimated age 11, Worognan, April 8, 2011.
45 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | DECEMBER 2011