Children - Terre des Hommes

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and returning by the last train that comes into KGF at 9.00
pm, and, how adolescent girls form a majority of these daily
commuters. When interviewed, the young girls who commute
by these trains admitted that they are vulnerable to physical
and sexual abuse as the trains are overcrowded, but they
brush it aside as unavoidable as they have no other choice but
to work to sustain their families. A few of the girls stated that
they have learnt to deal with these problems over the years by
choosing to travel in groups. However, they stated that the
main problem was while returning home as sometimes their
employers make them work extra hours, which means they
cannot take the regular train back home. This creates tension
for the girls when they have to travel back alone as incidents of
assault are common around the railway track in KGF.
The only fortune that these young people of KGF have is their
English education. They are therefore offered lower-end jobs
in corporate offices, business process outsourcing (BPO),
banks and other private firms that require English speaking
skills. A majority of the girls work as contract labour in the
garment industries in the suburbs of Bengaluru while most
of the boys work as electricians, masons, carpenters, security
guards, plumbers and the like. The study team could not find
any young people in the township during the weekdays and,
during the weekends girls are normally busy with household
chores.
KGF has gained notoriety of having youth hired by political
and criminal groups, which operate in Bengaluru, for violent
and criminal activities. It was also reported that some of the
women and young girls from the workers’ families turned to
prostitution to keep their families from starving. However,
people of KGF prefer not to have such news highlighted as
it only sensationalises KGF without actually addressing their
core problems.
One of the glaring problems reported by the people themselves
is theft. Young boys operate as petty criminals and steal parts
of the company infrastructure like metal sheets from mine
shafts, machinery and other scrap. The team found many of
the properties of BGML with broken doors and windows,
walls stripped of cupboards, fencing material ripped away and
similar scenes around the township. When the study team
visited KGF, a critically injured mine worker was admitted to
the PHC and it was reported that some youth had brutally
assaulted him on the railway track and robbed him. People
were bitter that these crimes were committed under the
guidance of the local police who thrive on the new violence
erupting from the youth.
When the youth of KGF were interviewed they expressed
their anger and frustration at the government, and about how
the company betrayed their families and left them to suffer
the indignity of poverty without providing any alternatives.
A majority of them stated that they were ready to go
underground and keen to have the mining back or demanded
that the government should set up other industries in KGF.
They questioned the irrationality of the government, which is
trying to forcibly acquire large areas of rich agricultural lands
from farmers in other places for setting up SEZs, whereas
KGF has 13,000 acres of land, the right infrastructure and
manpower that can readily service different industries.
Some of the girls interviewed spoke bitterly about their lost
opportunities as they were meritorious students and had
gained admission to professional courses like engineering but
had to forego their studies due to the financial crises suffered
by their families. All through the field visit the study team
got the impression that workers, officers and the youth were
all living in hopeful anticipation of the mine being opened
once again and the families getting back to the golden days
of BGML.
Therefore, most of the families have remained in KGF awaiting
the revival of the mines or hoping that the government will
come to their rescue with other industries. The workers’
unions claim that they are now under a united federation and
confident of negotiating with the government for a revival
and are preparing the youth to be the next generation of
mine workers. However, differences were visible; the political
environment of the unions and the government stance makes
it seem that it is unlikely that a constructive alternative for
the youth is possible in the immediate future. The youth have
paid a heavy price for the political dead-end created by the
KGF mine closure.
Health Impacts
The two most glaring problems that were identified were the
occupational illnesses related to gold mining and the social
ills related to closure. The workers interviewed admitted that
almost all of them who worked underground suffered from
silicosis and tuberculosis. Earlier they were treated in the
company hospital and they reported that death due to silicosis
was experienced quite frequently. However, after the mine
closed down and so also the hospital, the ex-workers suffering
from these illnesses today do not have medical facilities. The
government PHC in KGF is unable to meet the medical