Recommendations on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in Small-Scale Gold Mining for OECD Conference on Due Diligence

Human Rights Watch has documented the use of child labor in small-scale gold mining in Mali, Ghana, and Tanzania. Children are subject to the worst forms of child labor—in particular, hazardous child labor—when they work underground, carry heavy loads, work with dangerous tools, and use toxic mercury. Children have been involved in serious mining accidents, poisoned by mercury through regular exposure during processing, and been victims of sexual abuse and economic exploitation in the context of small-scale gold mining. Children who work in mining often drop out of school or do not attend in the first place. The gold from small-scale mines often reaches the global gold market—unbeknownst to consumers—through a long supply chain that starts with child labor.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/11/12/recommendations-worst-forms-child-labor-small-scale-gold-mining-oecd-conference-due-