Children - Terre des Hommes

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pass through the town loaded with uranium ore. 217 Although
the government insists that there is no threat of radiation to
the local people or health hazards from the uranium mining,
local residents tell a different story. A number of studies
have documented high levels of health problems in the local
community ranging from miscarriages, to children born
with physical and mental deformities. A survey conducted
by Indian Doctors for Peace and Development showed a
significant increase in congenital deformities among babies of
mothers who lived around the uranium mining area. 218
In the mica mining areas of Giridih and Koderama, an NGO
has reported large numbers of children working in the mines.
An estimated 18,000 children in these two districts are
involved in mica picking most of them coming from STs. 219
The Santhal adivasis have occupied the forests for many
decades now. However, since mica mining took over the area
in 1980, many of the local people have lost their traditional
forms of livelihoods and now collect scrap mica to make a
living. The majority of the labour force consists of women and
children. Accidents are reportedly common, and occupational
health diseases, such as asthma and TB, have been observed
in both child and adult workers. 220
It is depends on the availability of coal to load one
truck of coal. But on an average we get 10–12 days
work in a month. I earn about Rs. 800–1,000
per month but this is not enough to support my
family.”
Source: Interview carried out in Potanga village, Hazaribagh,
September 2009
Jharkhand is a state predominantly having an adivasi
population living in the midst of the curse of mineral
Boys walk with cycle loads of coal for 3–4 days at a stretch, to sell coal in
the big towns Hazaribagh (Photo September 2009)
Hazaribagh district: Key facts
Total population: 2,277,475 (Census 2001)
Population (0–14 years): 937,835 (Census 2001)
Literacy rate:
Total 57.74 per cent
Male 71.81 per cent
Female 42.87 per cent (Census 2001)
Percentage of out-of-school children (6–14 years): 1.5 per cent (ASER 2008)
Percentage of children enrolled in AWC or pre-school (3–4 years): 91.4 per cent (ASER 2008)
Number of child labour (5–14 years): 26,004 (Census 2001)
Under five mortality rate (ranking):
193 out of 593 districts surveyed
(Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh)
Hazaribagh: Children of Black Gold
“My name is Helena (name changed) and I am 17
years old. I am from the local village of Potanga.
I have been working in the coal dumping site for
the last 5–6 years. There is no fixed wage for us.
abundance. Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) is a public
sector coal mining company in Jharkhand. The case study
presented here is about the children living in the coal mining
region. It is not only about their life as child labour or as
communities who have been displaced from their lands and
forest-agriculture based economy into an economy revolving
217. Ibid, pp. 184.
218. Infochange, Moushumi Bashu, Jadugoda: No expansion until promises are met, May 2009.
219. Alternative for India Development Jharkhand, Tribal Children Trapped in Mica Mines, http://www.aidjharkhand.org/giridih.html, uploaded: 22 November
2009.
220. Ibid.