Children - Terre des Hommes

15
National Overview
Mining has impacts on people at different stages in its
development. By its very nature it is fundamentally
unsustainable, as all natural resources are finite and will
eventually run out. Mining obviously has the most impacts
on people working in the sites, but the local community is
also impacted in terms of health problems and other negative
influences the activity may introduce or exacerbate in the
region. In the pre-mining phase, communities are displaced
for mining activities and they may lose their farmland or
even their homes.
The length of the active mining phase depends on the
quantity of minerals available in the area. But eventually all
mines have to be closed. The post-mining phase also poses
its own distinct problems. Mining companies very rarely
develop adequate closure plans, to put in place mechanisms
to protect the community once mining ceases. Mining and
quarry sites are often simply abandoned by companies once
the minerals have dried up, and this land is generally useless,
as it cannot be easily transformed back into agricultural
land. Therefore the local community is often left landless
and jobless.
Working conditions are very different in the formal and
informal mining sectors. The average daily wage for workers
They
will often receive other benefits, such as paid holidays and
sometimes healthcare and education for their families.
Hazards/ risks in the living environment
Table 1.1: Hazards and riskd in the general mining environent
Exposure to:
subhuman living conditions (lacking sanitation,
drinking water, extreme gegraphical and climatic
locations);
complicated dependency relations;
degrading social environment (criminality,
prostitution);
exposure to STD, AIDS, etc.;
inequality between men and women (men
dispose of economic resources); erosion of family
and social structure;
violent behaviour towards child workers;
violent conflicts among miners and with
surrounding communities;
lack of law and order
Possible Consequences
deterioration of ethical value system
injuries or death due to crime or violence
omission of schooling and education;
vulnerability to diseases due to lack of hygiene and
sanitation
exacerbation of injuries and illnesses due to lack of
health services
Source: International Programme in Elimination of Child Labour, International Labour Office, Eliminating Child Labour in mining and Quarrying - Background
Document, World Day Against Child Labour, 12 June,2005; pp 13
19. Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Selected State-wise Average Daily Earnings of Workers in Mining Industries by Sex-Age in India, 2007.