12 June 2005, International Labour Organization (ILO)
The rationale for eliminating child labour in mining and quarrying includes:
- Child labour in mining and quarrying is in virtually all cases, a Worst Form of Child Labour because of the extent and severity of the hazards and the risks of death, injury and disease. There is no justification - poverty included - for children to work in this sector. It is literally back breaking work. It is relatively straightforward, therefore, for governments to legislate to include mining and quarrying activities on their legally-binding, national hazardous child labour lists; thereby making them prohibited activities for children.
- The estimated size of the child labour population in mining and quarrying of 1 million is relatively small in global terms. This means elimination is an achievable goal.
- There is strong government support for elimination of child labour in mining and quarrying. Some 13 governments will, for example, be directly pledging their support on WDACL.
- There is strong industry-wide support from both employers’ organisations and trade unions in mining and quarrying for elimination of child labour in these sectors.
- There is strong support from Communities and Small-Scale Mining (CASM): This body is already engaged in improving social and economic conditions, and in eliminating child labour, in small-scale mining. It helps brings action down to the community level and makes the links with NGOs. Without action at the community level it will be impossible to eliminate child labour in mining and quarrying.
- Last but by no least, there is strong child and parental support for elimination. IPEC experience shows that where children are given viable options they wish to attend school and/or receive skills training. Parents equally, given viable options, want their children to be properly educated and taught skills.
