© Kike Arnal
November 11th 2014
In response to concerns about forced labor in Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining, we have today announced the release of a toolkit of guidelines and practical measures for key players in the industry in collaboration with Solidaridad.
Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) accounts for around 25 per cent of the world’s gold production and employs around 100 million people directly or indirectly. But there is little regulation in the sector to protect workers from exploitation, slavery and dangerous conditions. Women, children and indigenous people are particularly at risk: the Peruvian Ministry of Labor has reported that 48,000 people are working in forced-labor conditions.
The toolkit is designed to help miners, civil society organizations and government agencies and experts in labor and human rights identify and deal with forced labor in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). It follows 18 months of research and field-testing by the collaborators. Humanity United, a U.S.-based foundation dedicated to building peace and advancing human freedom, provided financial support.
“Forced labour is often believed to be a thing of the past, but unfortunately slavery is still common and occurs in some Artisanal and Small-scale Mining operations, at times without people being aware of their own enslaving. This toolkit provides practical guidelines to help address this complex issue through a holistic approach. We are thankful to the many contributors who shared their visions on this topic and provided feedback and to Jennifer Horning form Solidaridad for her ongoing collaboration. A big thank you to Humanity United and Solidaridad for their financial support.” says Lina Villa-Córdoba, Executive Director of the Alliance for Responsible Mining.
The toolkit builds on the collaborators’ experience of working with artisanal miners worldwide, and draws in particular from the Fairmined Standard developed by the Alliance for responsible mining. The Fairmined Standard promotes responsible mining practices for ASM gold mining, specifically addressing Forced Labour and Child Labour, not only in the certified mines, but also, progressively, in the surrounding communities.
Download the toolkit here and in our Capacity Building Center site
We expect to release a Spanish translation of the toolkit and possibly versions in other languages in the near future. For more info please contact: Marcin Piersiak moc.g1778468866ninim1778468866ytinu1778468866mmoc@1778468866kaisr1778468866eipni1778468866cram1778468866 Tel: +57 4 332 4711
Download the official press release here