A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

Companies in Other Countries
Mali also exports gold to several other European and North American countries, Thailand,
and China. One trader reported that international buyers have come occasionally straight
to the mines and bought there. 379
According to the figures obtained from the Ministry of the Economy and Finances, between
2009 and 2011, the third largest business partner after Switzerland and the United Arab
Emirates was Belgium. 380 During the first of half of 2011, a Belgian company, Tony Goetz,
imported about 60 kilograms, worth close to US$ 3 million. 381 In response to a letter from
Human Rights Watch about the use of child labor in Mali’s artisanal gold mines, Tony
Goetz stated that “artisanal mines that make use of highly toxic mercury are not among the
suppliers of Tony Goetz NV,” and that their suppliers have acknowledged that they do not
use child labor. The company also said that “the amount of gold purchased from Malian
suppliers by Tony Goetz represents only a very negligible amount of the total purchases of
the company (i.e. less than 0.5% of the total purchases).” 382
Government Mining Policies: Failure to Regulate Artisanal Mining
The Malian government policy on mining is primarily focused on large-scale mining, which
accounts for the majority of Mali’s gold exports, and the need to attract international
investors. Where the government does deal with artisanal mining, its approach is mostly
characterized by a laissez-faire attitude and a neglect of the pervasive poverty, child labor,
and mercury use in artisanal mines. The government tolerates most artisanal mining
activities, including those outside the legally established mining corridors. According to
one official, 97 percent of artisanal mining sites lie outside the corridors. 383 The
government has failed to regulate and support the sector, a step that could increase
miners’ incomes and help eliminate child labor.
One reason for this situation is that many local government officials and traditional
authorities benefit from artisanal mining, by raising fees for shafts or getting part of the
gold production as customary owner of the land. 384 Sometimes, local government officials
even become gold miners themselves, and receive considerable income through the
miners working for them. An official from the ministry of mines said that there are
379 Human Rights Watch interview with gold trader, Kéniéba, April 1, 2011.
380 See Annex I. The estimate is based on June 2011 gold prices.
381 See Annex II.
382 See Annex V.
383 Human Rights Watch interview with government official, Ministry of Mines, Bamako, April 6, 2011.
384 See section II for details.
77 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | DECEMBER 2011