Abstract
This report is part of a series published by Terre des Hommes (TDH). Its purpose is to shed light on global child work and labour, its content, context, and consequences. This year’s report focuses on children’s work in the extractive industries, particularly ASM. It begins with a brief overview of debates over how to understand and respond to children’s work in this sector. The next section discusses the approach to reviewing the literature and the methods used to research with children and their families, before contextualising the three case study mining communities studied, in Bolivia, India, and Zimbabwe.
The main section of the report presents empirical answers to key questions around working children in ASM, weaving together the views of children and families and evidence from the global research literature. Finally, tying together these grassroots perspectives with the literature reviewed, the conclusion points in the direction of recommended actions for different stakeholders.
The main section of the report presents empirical answers to key questions around working children in ASM, weaving together the views of children and families and evidence from the global research literature. Finally, tying together these grassroots perspectives with the literature reviewed, the conclusion points in the direction of recommended actions for different stakeholders.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Terre des Hommes Foundation |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Publication status | Published - 12 May 2025 |
Acknowledgements
This report has been realised with extensive support from TDH colleagues, partner organisations in Bolivia, Indiaand Zimbabwe and 210 children and young people working in artisanal and small-scale mining.
A huge vote of thanks goes to the children and young workers aged 8–18 years. Despite the already tight schedules and the high workload, school and family obligations, these children dedicated time to take part in the research workshops and allow us to understand how they live and work. This has given deep insights into their needs and wishes and provided a unique opportunity to translate their views into policy demands.
We are grateful to the research teams who conducted the workshops in the three countries and the respective TDH regional offices. We would love to mention their names here, but we keep them anonymous for security reasons.
We also thank those who agreed to hold Key Informant Interviews, i.e. parents (2), teachers (1), local leaders (6), and mine owners (1). A heartfelt thanks goes to the consultant, Dr. Neil Howard, who drafted this report with immense passion, dedication, in depth-knowledge and fantastic reliable and accurate work. We hope that this report nurtures debates on how to improve the lives of children working in artisanal and small-scale mining and that their own views and suggestions are taken into account when setting up policy interventions.
