Presentation by ARM on the worst forms of child labour. Day 3 of the 6th ICGLR-OECD-UN GoE Forum on responsible mineral supply chains, 15 November 2013. Visit: http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/icglr-oecd-un-forum-kigali-2013.htm

1. Project to Reduce Child Labor
in Mining in Colombia
6th Meeting of the ICGLR-OECD-UN GoE Forum on
Responsible Mineral Supply Chains
Maria Laura Barreto
Chair, Alliance for Responsible Mining

2. GENERAL INFORMATION
DONOR
• Department of Labor of the United States
PARTNERS
• Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y la Niñez
• Fundación Mi Sangre
• Pact Inc
• Alliance for Responsible Mining
TIMEFRAME
• 4 years

3. GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS
ANTIOQUIA
Four Municipalities
El Bagre, Zaragoza, Remedios and Segovia
All traditional gold mining municipalities
with high levels of production and informal
artisanal mining.
STATISTICS ON CHILD LABOR
ANTIOQUIA
Children registered in SIRTI
(national database on child labor)
15.225
Child workers
2.066
Children in WFCL*
205
At risk of falling into WFCL
12.618
*WFCL = Worst Form of Child Labor

4. GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS
BOYACÁ
Three Municipalities
Sogamoso, Paipa and Topaga.
Selected for their high level of coal
production and informal mining.
STATISTICS ON CHILD LABOR
BOYACÁ
Children registered in SIRTI
(national database on child labor)
28.893
Child workers
4.093
Children in WFCL
1.509
At risk of falling into WFCL
22.683

5. PROJECT APPROACH
1.
Moving artisanal miners through
the formalization process
contributes significantly to
increasing health and safety
standards for miners and reduces
the incidence of child labor in the
mining sector.
1.
A formalized mining sector with
good health and safety standards
presents a viable livelihood
opportunity for educated young
people.
2.
Children kept in school are less
likely to work and experience the
negative impacts of child labor

6. PROJECT OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVE:
To reduce child labor in the mining sector in Colombia
BY:
1. Supporting the efforts of the Government of Colombia to formalize
the artisanal mining sector, with focus on implementing labor
standards in order to improve working conditions.
2. Increasing the capacity of the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the
National Agency of Mining to identify and address child labor and OSH
concerns
3. Improving coordination between stakeholders at the
national, provincial and municipal levels.
4. Identifying different levels of vulnerability, exposure and risk which
the children face.

7. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. Recommend policies to combat child labor and to improve
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in the mining
sector
a. Develop and advise child labor policies
b. Develop and implement OSH policies
c. Support the formalization of Artisanal and Small-scale
Mining (ASM)
2. Strengthen capacity to identify and address violations of
child labor and Occupational, Safety and Health (OSH) laws
in mining communities
a. Identify and address child labor and OSH violations
b. Promote inter-agency coordination

8. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
3. Increase livelihood opportunities for households of
children involved in mining
• Increase income and livelihood security of ASM
miners, households and youth
4. Expand education opportunities for children and youth in
targeted ASM mining communities
• Improve access to education and education services

9. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
5. Share strategies with other countries to combat child
labor and address OSH in mining with a particular focus
on formalizing ASM miners
• Conduct study tours
• Innovation fund

10. /www.communitymining.org (ASM)