A New Year, But Old Problems Persist: Reports of Child Labor and Export of Toxics Continue

Next month will mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth. Given the last two centuries' stratospheric advances in technology and the past century's progress in human rights policy, one would think that child labor, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions, and the export of hazardous industrial refuse to poor countries and communities would be a thing of the past. But as several reports released last month show, Dickensian working and living conditions are still very much with us. Children continue to be engaged in hazardous manual labor instead of attending school. They continue to be exposed to levels of toxics that hamper their ability to learn. Particularly troubling is the fact that these problems have long been documented and persist despite policies - in national regulations, international agreements, and in voluntary business codes of conduct - aimed at their prevention. Gold mining in Mali A Human Rights Watch report released in December details the work of children in gold mines in Mali - children as young as six digging and climbing mine shafts, working underground, carrying heavy loads of rock, crushing ore, and using the potent neurotoxicant mercury to separate gold from surrounding rock. Even younger children are also being exposed to mercury as they accompany their mothers who are engaged in this work. According to the report, an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 children work in Mali's small-scale artisanal gold mining operations - despite the fact that Mali has now outlawed hazardous child labor in gold mines. Many of these children work alongside their parents, but some are victims of labor trafficking. Some of the gold from these artisanal mines in Mali has been traced to Switzerland and Dubai. The Human Rights Watch report points out that labor conditions of these small-scale operations are far more difficult to police than those of big companies, and that funding to enforce international child labor prevention programs is far from sufficient. It notes that among the challenges of eradicating this child labor is the fact that in situations like the one in Mali, boycotts can be counterproductive if they result in a local economic downturn that may prompt families to put more children to work in the mines as they pursue additional income. Recommendations from Human Rights Watch include increasing access to free education (with free school meals) in mining areas, reducing use of mercury in artisanal mines, improving overall mining practices, and renewing the International Labor Organization's "Minors Out of Mining" campaign. Read more »