Artisanal and small-scale mining: protecting those ‘doing the dirty work’

Informal labour is a defining characteristic of artisanal and small-scale
mining (ASM), and is seen as an underlying cause of many social and
economic challenges facing the sector. Approaches to formalising ASM
mostly consider it a poverty-driven subsistence activity and take legalistic
approaches, emphasising the need to recognise local people’s property
claims. But these policy responses can misunderstand the complex and
multi-tiered labour structure that exists within informal ASM. More inclusive
formalisation policies are needed — policies that particularly seek to
understand and improve the position of ASM’s large, mobile and often
marginalised workforce. Using empirical evidence from the Philippines, we
identify the opportunities and challenges posed by a more inclusive
approach to formalising ASM, and recommend potential policy responses.
http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/17262IIED.pdf?