A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

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To the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) • Ensure that the future ECOWAS Mining Code prohibits the use of child labor in artisanal mining, and recommends specific actions to member states towards the elimination of child labor in artisanal mining. • Ensure that the future ECOWAS Mining Code prohibits the use of mercury by pregnant women and child laborers. • Ensure that the future ECOWAS Mining Code mandates governments to take steps to reduce the use of mercury in artisanal gold mining, including through training, capacity-building and introduction of mercury-reducing practices. To Donor Countries and the World Bank, and Relevant UN Agencies, such as ILO, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNEP, and WHO • Provide financial, technical, and political support to the Malian Government of Mali and civil society actors for the above-mentioned measures. • In particular, provide political, financial, and technical support for: • The National Action Plan on Child Labor, including to programs for the withdrawal of children working in artisanal mines. • Child labor programs in Mali, including national NGOs. • Measures to end the use of mercury by child laborers. • Measures to introduce technologies that reduce the use of mercury in artisanal gold mining, such as retorts. • Measures to improve access to education, including a social protection scheme that benefits vulnerable children and that ties cash transfers to regular school attendance. Donors should press for an abolition of school fees and implement this in their own education programs. • A national roundtable on child labor in artisanal mining, with the aims outlined above. • The US, the European Commission, and Other Donors should also provide support to ILO/IPEC for child labor programs on in Mali. • UNICEF should also carry out a program with a focus on the children’s rights in artisanal mining areas in Mali. • The ILO should also renew the “Minors out of Mining” initiative by calling an international conference on the issue, following up on the national level with governments who committed to eliminate child labor in artisanal mining, for example, 89 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | DECEMBER 2011
through national roundtables involving relevant stakeholders, providing financial and technical support for child labor programs, and calling upon other governments to commit to the goals of the initiative. • The US, France, the Global Environment Facility, and UNIDO should also ensure that their current programs on mercury reduction in artisanal gold mining in Mali and the sub-region include measures to end the use of mercury by child laborers. To Malian and International Companies Trading in Artisanal Gold Take Measures to Ensure a Child-Labor Free Supply Chain • Malian and international companies buying gold from Mali’s artisanal mines should establish a thorough due diligence process, including regular monitoring of child labor in artisanal mining. Monitors should be independent and the results of monitoring should be published. Companies should visit artisanal mines to ensure they have accurate information about child labor. The due diligence process must also include procedures to address adverse human rights impacts. • Malian and international companies should carry out capacity-building with their suppliers by training them on how to identify and address child labor. • If there are reports that child labor is being used, companies should conduct specific investigations into these reports. • In the event that child labor occurs, Malian and international companies buying the gold should take action to address the situation. In particular the companies should: • Immediately inform the national and local government authorities and urge them in writing to take measures to end use of child labor in artisanal gold mining within a specified time frame, for example, to seek measurable improvements within one year through labor inspections and improved access to education; • Immediately inform the Mining Chamber and urge them, in writing, to take measures to end use of child labor in artisanal gold mining within a specified time frame, for example, to develop and disseminate a code of conduct on child labor in mining sector within one year; • Immediately inform suppliers and urge them to take measures to end the use of child labor in their supply chain within a specified time frame, such as two years, in order to facilitate children’s transition out of work. Concrete measures could, for example, be awareness-raising sessions on child labor in artisanal mining communities, direct support for education projects, and pressure on A POISONOUS MIX 90
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Mali A Poisonous Mix Child Labor, M
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Copyright © 2011 Human Rights Watc
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VI. A Poor Health Policy Response .
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A POISONOUS MIX II
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An artisanal gold mine, Kéniéba c
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Children carry calabashes and bucke
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Mining is one of the most hazardous
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Women work with mercury in the pres
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A boy climbs out of a shaft at an a
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KEY RECOMMENDATIONS • The Malian
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Methodology Field research for this
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I. The Context: Gold Mining in Mali
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Artisanal Gold Mining There are ove
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Artisanal miners who have been assi
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II. The Legal Framework Internation
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The Minimum Age Convention also per
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Trafficking in persons is prohibite
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The government has drawn up a natio
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fostering, or live and work by them
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I pull the buckets up…. It hurts
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I do gold panning and mixing [amalg
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Mercury traders provide mercury dir
Page 45 and 46: The Use of Mercury in Artisanal Min
Page 47 and 48: Extended periods of bending over to
Page 49 and 50: mine from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and tha
Page 51 and 52: Children Earning Their Own Money So
Page 53 and 54: thirds of child laborers surveyed i
Page 55 and 56: Agriculture and domestic labor are
Page 57 and 58: IV. Sexual Exploitation and Violenc
Page 59 and 60: Health workers and organizations wo
Page 61 and 62: However, the government’s efforts
Page 63 and 64: Programs to End Child Labor in Arti
Page 65 and 66: In June 2005, 15 countries, includi
Page 67 and 68: VI. A Poor Health Policy Response C
Page 69 and 70: Artisanal mining areas also lack se
Page 71 and 72: VII. “I Have Never Been to School
Page 73 and 74: When parents in Mali have to make c
Page 75 and 76: It is really difficult to combine s
Page 77 and 78: quality of education. 332 High stud
Page 79 and 80: VIII. The Gold Traders’ Responsib
Page 81 and 82: Child labor is not good. The gold g
Page 83 and 84: Chamber about the conditions in whi
Page 85 and 86: “conflicts of interest when the m
Page 87 and 88: inding mining code is scheduled for
Page 89 and 90: Conclusion Child labor in Mali’s
Page 91 and 92: government and others should provid
Page 93 and 94: • Urge gold traders and companies
Page 95: • free school meals, including in
Page 99 and 100: Acknowledgements This report was re
Page 101 and 102: A POISONOUS MIX 94
Page 111 and 112: Annex IV A POISONOUS MIX 104
Page 113 and 114: Annex V A POISONOUS MIX 106
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A Poisonous Mix - Human Rights Watch

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