A New Year, But Old Problems Persist: Reports Of Child Labor And Export Of Toxics Continue

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. 
http://blog.islandpress.org/a-new-year-but-old-problems-persist-reports-of-child-labor-and-export-of-toxics-continue