Human Rights Watch urges Ghana to lead the way

A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international NGO has called on Ghana to lead the way in Africa by developing a comprehensive strategy for safe, professional, and child labour-free gold mining.

The report also urged companies to have clear policies against child labour, which requires regular monitoring with unannounced inspections by people knowledgeable about child labour and full chain-of-custody documentation.

They are to ensure that all contracts with suppliers include specific language prohibiting child labour.

The 82-page report, “Precious Metal, Cheap Labour Child Labour and Corporate Responsibility in Ghana’s Artisanal Gold Mines” said in that way, Ghana’s gold could truly improve the lives of Ghanaian children.

The report documents the use of child labour in Ghana’s artisanal or unlicensed mines where most mining takes place.

Ms Juliane Kippenberg, Lead Researcher at HRW, who announced this at a news conference, said the HRW conducted field research into the use of children in gold mining in Western, Central, and Ashanti Regions since 2013.

She said interactions and interviews with more than 160 people, including 44 child miners from nine- 17 years at 10 artisanal and small-scale gold mining and processing sites, revealed that most child labourers are from 15- 17 years but younger children also work in the mines.

She said aside that owned gold trading company, the Precious Metals Marketing Company has no procedures to determine whether children have been involved in producing the gold it purchases, a number of the six international refiners that buy gold from Ghana have weaknesses in their procedures of due diligence.

Some of these companies lack control over their supply chain or failing to report publicly on their due diligence measures, or do not carry out systematic child labour monitoring.

Ms Kippenberg urged government to address the underlying causes of child labour through cash transfer programmes, appropriate youth employment options, and measures to make free primary education a reality.

The government, she said, must also undertake fundamental reforms to regulate, professionalise, and formalise the artisanal and small-scale mining sector, and to address child labour in mining.

Mr Cyprien Laryea from the National Secretariat of National Steering Committee on Child Labour, said Ghana’s children Act prohibits mining work for anyone under 18 years and child labour in mining also violates Ghana’s international legal obligations.

He said as a result government has put in place several social protection intervention measures to identify and withdrawn children in child labour and place them in formal education.

He said so far, 2,276 children out of which 70 per cent are made of boys have been identified and withdrawn from galamsey (small scale mining) sites and placed in formal school system.

“Government also put in place alternative livelihood programmes for parents of child labourers to give them skills to improve their revenue and to support their wards in school.”

He urged stakeholders to assist government agencies to intensify education on the hazards of child labour.