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Learn how the CARING project is tackling the consequences of climate change and child labor in the Philippines, while improving working conditions in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
In some 70 countries around the world, an estimated 10-15 million artisanal and small-scale gold (ASG) miners generate 15-20 percent (200 – 300 tons) of the world’s annual gold production. ASG miners are often poor and vulnerable, as they lack titles to their mines and legal work contracts; they work under shoddy environmental and occupational safety and health standards; and they mine marginal and/or very small deposits. Many of them use mercury to amalgamate gold, which pollutes the land and local sources of water. In Ghana, there are an estimated one million artisanal and small-scale miners, while in the Philippines there are 300,000. In both countries, tens of thousands of children work in underground shafts, carry heavy loads, and use mercury to separate gold from sediment with their bare hands. These activities expose them to labor exploitation, physical injuries, harmful dust, and mercury fumes. Although Ghana and the Philippines have made efforts to tackle the situation, they have not fully enforced laws related to ASG mining and child labor; they have not formalized ASG mining activities or monitored gold supply chains; and they have not addressed poverty and social exclusion in ASG mining communities.
Convene stakeholders to develop and implement strategies to reduce child labor and improve working conditions in artisanal and small-scale gold (ASGM).
Intermediate Objectives:
Ghana and the Philippines
Global, Ghana, and the Philippines
Summary of Activities:
Ghana and the Philippines
Global, Ghana, and the Philippines
The project will work with a wide range of stakeholders, including national, regional, local governments, miner associations, mining companies, trade unions, NGOs/civil society groups, media, academia, communities, miners, parents, and children.
