12 June World Day against Child labour

Combating child labour in the Caribbean
Project of the ILO-SRO for the Caribbean and the Government of Canada

This year World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) calls our attention to a form of work that is dangerous to children in every way. It is physically dangerous because of the heavy and awkward loads, the strenuousness of the work, the unstable underground structures, the tools, the toxic chemicals, and the exposure to sun and water.

It can also be morally and psychologically risky given that mining often takes place in remote areas where law, schools, and social services are unknown, where family and community support may not exist, where "boom or bust" conditions foster alcohol abuse, drugs, and prostitution.

Quarrying occurs in most countries; child labour is found in quarrying in much of the developing world. Although children can be seen breaking stones alongside roads and cutting and hauling rock from pits that produce construction materials, no one knows just how many adults and children struggle to make a living this way.

An estimated one million children work in small scale mining and quarrying around the world.

In surface and underground mines, children work long hours, carry heavy loads, set explosives, sieve sand and dirt, crawl through narrow tunnels, inhale harmful dusts and work in water - often in the presence of dangerous toxins such as lead and mercury. Children mine diamonds, gold, and precious metals in Africa, gems and rock in Asia, and gold, coal, emeralds and tin in South America.

ILO pilot projects have demonstrated that it is possible to eliminate child labour in mining and quarrying communities by helping them to acquire legal rights, organize cooperatives or other productive units, improve the health and safety and productivity of adult workers, and secure essential services, such as schools, clean water and sanitation systems.

The removal of all child workers from small scale mines and quarries is an achievable goal.

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ILO urges ban on child labour in small-scale mines and quarries
Initiative is part of World Day Against Child Labour activities to be held worldwide

Thursday 9 June 2005 (ILO/05/29)

GENEVA (ILO news) - Workers, employers and governments are to join the International Labour Organization (ILO) in marking the World Day Against Child Labour this year by calling for the elimination of child labour in one of the world's most dangerous sectors - small-scale mining and quarrying - within five to 10 years.

This new initiative will be launched with a "call to action" at a special event during the ILO's International Labour Conference on 10 June. The ILO estimates that at least 1 million children aged five to 17 currently toil in small-scale mines and quarries around the world.

"Children who work in mines and quarries are in such danger - risking their health and safety, and indeed their lives - that action must be taken now", said Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO. "One million children are carrying a burden far too heavy for their bodies and responsibilities too heavy for their years. It's up to us, together, to lift this weight from their shoulders, to get them out of the mines and quarries and into school."

The new initiative calls on governments, workers' organizations and employers associated with the mining sector to work together to help remote mining and quarrying enterprises - often small, family-based operations in the informal sector - to become economically and environmentally sustainable without the use of children as workers.

Tripartite delegations from at least 14 countries are expected to present a signed accord to the ILO committing themselves to eliminating child labour in all small-scale mining and quarrying in a "time bound" manner. These countries include: Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, and Togo.

Typically, these are operations that lack mechanization, tools and safety measures to protect workers, no matter what age. The work exposes both adults and children to the risk of death and injury from tunnel collapses, accidental explosions, rock falls, exposure to toxic substances such as mercury and lead, and chronic health conditions such as silicosis. Dirty and dangerous conditions, combined with heavy loads and long hours of work, contribute to a vicious circle that increases the risks of accidents and disease, and denies children opportunities to develop into healthy adults.

World Day observances are expected to take place in scores of cities around the world on 12 June. The World Day Against Child Labour was established by the ILO in 2002 to raise the visibility of global and local efforts against child labour and highlight the global movement to eliminate the practice, particularly its worst forms.

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ILO Brochure (PDF) : "A load too heavy: Children in mining and quarrying"
Background document: Eliminating child labour in mining and quarrying

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Further information: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/event/cl2005/index.htm