ILO forum discusses unacceptable children gold miners
Experts and global actors from
Africa, Asia and South America gathered recently in Manila, Philippines to
address child labour and poor working conditions in artisanal and small scale
gold mines (ASGM).
The first-ever Inter-regional
Knowledge-Sharing Forum on Child Labour and Working Conditions in ASGM of the International Labour Organization
(ILO) served as the platform for the dialogue.
Governments, employers’ and
workers’ organizations, international non-government organizations, civil
society organizations, miners’ groups and their communities, and ASGM supply
chain actors joined the forum.
Countries represented include
Colombia, Congo, Cote d' Ivoire, France, Ghana, Guyana, Indonesia, Italy, Mali,
Mongolia, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the
United States.
“Jobs in artisanal and
small-scale gold mines are often linked to poor working conditions, with
limited rights and access to social protection, without a voice and freedom to
join unions. Miners risk their safety and health even without stable income to
lift their families out of poverty. Of great concern are children working in
these mines, which is one of the worst forms of child labour,” said Khalid
Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines.
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ILO estimates in 2011 revealed
that 19,000 children work in 45 artisanal and small-scale gold mines in the
Philippines. Children can be found inside mining tunnels or on surface
collecting gold and hauling sacks of ore or smelting gold.
The sector is associated with
many labour issues such as hazardous working conditions that have led to
work-related injuries, diseases and deaths. Child labour is also present in
different mining stages. Evidence from various ILO surveys and research studies
show that mining is by far the most hazardous sector for children with respect
to fatal injuries.
“We should continue to zero-in on
families as they need to know the risks involved in sending their children away
for work. Child labour is not the solution to the households’ economic
problems, rather, it creates long-term problems. This forum is a step forward
to be more responsive and to provide us with the necessary tools to address
child labour and other labour issues in ASGM,” said Secretary Silvestre Bello
III of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The 3-day forum held on 28 to 30
May 2019 in Manila provided a venue to exchange knowledge, technologies,
practices and challenges to put forward concrete solutions to address child
labour and poor working conditions. The forum also looked at the impact of the
sector on people and the environment.
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“We are well aware of negative
impacts of ASGM on people and the environment. Most of the operations in the
sector continue to work without permits and mining practices are not covered by
government regulation. This is mainly the reason why two of the worst issues in
the mining sector – child labour and working conditions – are common in ASGM,”
said Secretary Roy Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR).
Implemented under the ILO CARING
Gold Mining Project (Convening Actors to Reduce child labour and Improve
working conditions in ASGM), which is funded by the United States Department of
Labor (USDOL) , the forum linked issues of child labour and working conditions
to decent work and compliance with Fundamental Principles and Rights at
Work for workers, families and
communities in the sector.
"The United States is proud
to support these efforts through the US Department of Labor. The 3-year
programme aims to reduce child labour and address working conditions in the
sector in Ghana and the Philippines. This is one part of a broader effort by
the United States to support human and labour rights in the Philippines, and
beyond," said US Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Yong Kim.
Although there are various global
organizations working on ASGM issues, concerns on child labour and other
labour-related issues could be better coordinated, especially at the local
level. Knowledge and action to eradicate child labour also need to be expanded
in line with relevant international labour standards.
The International Training Center
(ITC) of the ILO organized the forum with the support of USDOL, Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), DOLE, DENR, BanToxics,
and other partners.
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