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Child Labor in the Small-Scale Gold Mining Industry in Suriname Task Order I, Task III: In-Country Mixed-Methods Research and Data Collection January 2012 | Final Submitted to: United States Department of Labor Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking Frances Perkins Building 200 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20210 Submitted by: ICF Macro, Inc. 11785 Beltsville Drive, Suite 300 Calverton, MD 20707 Tel: (301) 572-0200 Fax: (301) 572-999 www.icfi.com Authors: Marieke Heemskerk and Celine Duijves Siriusstraat 14, Paramaribo, Suriname Phone: +597 457885 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Funding for this report was provided by the United States Department of Labor under contract number DOLJ099K29549. Points of view or opinions in this report do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. CONTENTS Abbreviations iv Executive Summary v Impression v 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Aims of the study 1 1.2 Composition of the research team 2 1.3 Report outline 2 2. Background 4 2.1 Suriname and its interior region 4 2.2 Small-scale gold mining in Suriname 5 3. Legal and institutional framework related to child labor 9 3.1 National legal and institutional framework 9 3.2 International treaties and conventions on child labor 13 3.3 Definitions used in this report 13 3.3.1 Child 13 3.3.2 Child labor 14 3.3.3 Worst forms of child labor 17 3.3.4 Hazardous work by children 18 4. Literature review: Child labor in Suriname’s gold mining industry 19 4.1 Numbers and ages of working children 21 4.2 Causes of child labor 24 4.3 Education and dropout 25 4.4 Types of work performed by children 26 4.5 Child rights 27 4.6 Forced labor and trafficking 28 4.7 Gender and ethnicity 28 5 Research methodology 29 5.1 Methodological design 29 5.1.1 Phase 1: Refining the research work plan 30 5.1.2 Phase 2: Field research (July 16–August 6, 2011) 32 ii Child Labor in the Gold Mining Industry in Suriname 5.1.3 Phase 3: Data processing and analysis 37 5.2 Field study location 38 5.3 Sampling method and sample of child and youth laborers 38 5.4 Limitations of the study 41 6. Findings 43 6.1 Observation results 43 6.2 Demographics of child workers 45 6.3 Education 47 6.3.1 Education results 47 6.3.2 Discussion: The relationship between education and work in gold mining 49 6.4 Risk factors associated with and pathways into child labor/forced child labor 53 6.4.1 Results for risk factors associated with and pathways into child labor 53 6.4.2 Discussion: Why and how children enter into gold mining 54 6.5 Type of work performed 56 6.5.1 Results: Mining activities and payment 56 6.5.2 Discussion: Activities performed by children in the gold mines 62 6.6 Living conditions 64 6.6.1 Living conditions: Results 64 6.6.2 Discussion of living conditions 65 6.7 Working conditions: Hours and days 66 6.7.1 Working hours and days 66 6.7.2 Discussion of hours and days of work 69 6.8 Working conditions: Risks, accidents, and illnesses 70 6.8.1 Risks, accidents, and illnesses 70 6.8.2 Discussion of risks, accidents, and illnesses 74 7. Conclusions 76 8. Bibliography 80 Annexes Annex 1: Maps Annex 2: Final Research Instruments Annex 3: List of Formal Experts iii ABBREVIATIONS ABS General Bureau of Statistics (Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek) ATM Ministry of Labor, Technological Development and Environment (Ministerie van Arbeid, Technologische Ontwikkeling en Milieu) ATV All-Terrain Vehicle CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child EBO Easy Vocational Education (Eenvoudig Beroeps Onderwijs) GLO Normal Lower Education (Gewoon Lager Onderwijs) ILAB International Labor Affairs Bureau ILO International Labour Organization IPEC International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour LBGO Lower Vocational Education (Lager Beroepsgericht Onderwijs) MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MINOV Ministry of Education and Community Development (Ministerie van Onderwijs en Volksontwikkeling) MULO More Extensive Lower Education (Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs) NGO Nongovernmental Organization NIKOS NGO Institute for Training and Research in Suriname OCFT Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking SOZAVO Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Volkshuisvesting) SRD Surinamese Dollars TIP Trafficking in Persons UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund USD U.S. Dollars USDOL United States Department of Labor WFCL Worst Forms of Child Labor iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study employs a mixed-methods methodology to capture and analyze quantitative and qualitative data on child labor in the small-scale gold mining sector in Suriname. The study addresses issues including, but not limited to, the worst forms of child labor (WFCL) in the gold mining sector, risk factors associated with and pathways into child labor, types of work performed, living and working conditions, and perceptions of the situation from those involved. Using a combination of network analysis, geomapping of the gold sector, and expert interviews, the researchers identified and conducted interviews with 167 child workers drawn from a nonprobability sample of three mining areas (Brokopondo, Meriam, and Sella Creek), and conducted direct observation of mining operations. Findings of the study demonstrate that all child gold miners are engaged in hazardous aspects of mining. Worksite and living conditions are poor and lack the most basic services, such as electricity, toilets, or clean water. At the same time, a distinction is evident between the activities of full-time workers (9.7 percent of those interviewed) and part-time workers (89.3 percent). Full-time workers typically work in the mining pits, where they use sharp tools and dangerous machinery, while the balance are more often engaged in gold panning, which exposes them to the toxic effects of mercury. Gold mining work by children occurs in isolated locations deep within Suriname’s underdeveloped interior; miners come from the impoverished Maroon population, where many households are large families headed by single mothers. Child miners are mostly boys, who are often drawn into the work through the influence of a matrilineal uncle who has the cultural status of a father. Access to high-quality, native-language education is limited; virtually all the children interviewed had a low level of educational achievement partly because they had missed school for work or because they were too physically and mentally exhausted from work to focus on their studies. However, the immediate need to supplement family income or have money of their own, combined with a lack of alternatives, compels children to work in gold mining. Impression Box 1 Regilio is 15 years old. He lives with his father in a tribal village in the rural district of Brokopondo and has seven brothers and sisters. His mother died last year. He is in the fourth grade of primary school. Like many other children in the interior, he has difficulties with the basics of education, such as grammar and mathematics. His ambition is to be a technician or a mechanic. Next year, he will be removed from school because of his age. There are no other educational options available for his age and level in the area unless he moves to Paramaribo, the capital city, to continue his education. His family cannot afford his living expense in the city. There are no sports and leisure opportunities in the area. Only a few weekend or holiday jobs are available, and the ones available pay less than SRD 5 (USD 1.5) an hour. Last year, his older brother and his uncle, who are machine owners, brought him to the mine to make some extra money. Since then he has been working in a gold mine close to his village. On Fridays after school, when he is in the mood to work, he goes to the mining field with his friends. On Sundays he comes back to the village to prepare himself for a new week at school. Each day he finds approximately 1 gram of gold, which is locally sold for approximately USD 40. He never experienced having money prior to working. Now he is able to buy fancy sneakers and pay for his own school fees. Furthermore, he is able to help support his siblings. The temptation to leave school and become a full-time worker is high. v Child Labor in the Gold Mining Industry in Suriname Drawing of a small-scale mining area, by Kine Fuger, Primary school, Brownsweg. vi 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Aims of the study This study presents and systematizes quantitative and qualitative data on child labor in the gold mining sector in Suriname. We define the term “child labor” as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. We adopt the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) definition of child labor, as work that— Is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and Interferes with their schooling by— . Depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; . Obliging them to leave school prematurely; or . Requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. Specifically, the study seeks to address issues including but not limited to the risk factors associated with and pathways into child labor, the type of work performed by children, the living and working conditions, the perceptions of the situation by those involved, the supply chain and market demands, and the occurrence of the child labor phenomenon within the gold mining sector.