A publication from the series: VOIX DU CONGO.
This research raises the issue of child labor in the artisanal mines in the chiefdom of Mariminza, using the examples of the Menze and Bararau quarries (Watsa territory, Haut-Uélé province). Using a qualitative approach based on several field interviews and a literature review, the study identifies the causes of child labor and its consequences for children’s future in order to propose preventive measures.
Despite legal provisions for the protection of minors, child labour remains a reality in the mining sector in the DRC. Children may be involved in activities such as cleaning, sorting and transporting minerals.
Among the many factors that explain the presence and work of children on artisanal mining sites in Haut Uélé province, family poverty is identified as a key cause. Girls and boys work to contribute to the family’s livelihoods, because the income from children’s work in the artisanal mines, however meagre, represents a significant part of their family’s income. However, parents are not always aware of the impact of working conditions in the mines on their children’s health.
Child labour in Haut Uélé province is made possible by the informal nature of mining activities. The mining sites are informal and geographically isolated, making it difficult for the relevant authorities to monitor them.
Hundreds of male and female workers from all over the province work on the Menze mining site. According to IPIS data, on 12 January 2022 there were a total of 730 workers on the site. The Babarau site had 150 diggers on the same date.
The Réseau des Environnementalistes et Communicateurs des Ressources Naturelles (RECOREN) is an organization based in the town of Durba/DOKO in the Haut-Uélé province. It is heavily involved in good extractive governance. Since 2017, it has been carrying out various actions in several areas to support the community and promote the exploitation of natural resources, including improving the sanitation of a responsible gold supply chain and rational management of artisanal and industrial extractive revenues.
The ‘Voix du Congo‘ series:
IPIS supports non-governmental organisations in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and provides the support and platform to disseminate their research results, within the framework of the project “Voix du Congo”. The opinions and facts reported in these reports do not, in any way, reflect IPIS’ positions but give an insight into the way Congolese civil society organizations work and analyze the problems and realities they face.
Other publications of this series are available here: “Voix du Congo”.
This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the Belgian Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD). The contents of this document can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the Belgian Development Cooperation.
