Colombian govt 'indifferent' to child mine labor: Mayor .

[Judi Lynn]

Colombian govt 'indifferent' to child mine labor: Mayor .
Friday, 12 April 2013 10:24 Benjy Hansen-Bundy



Hundreds of children are working in gold mines in central Tolima department and the Colombian government is "totally indifferent," said one local mayor.

A study conducted by the mayor of Ataco, Jose Antonio Jimenez, suggests at least 450 children between the ages of 8 and 15 work in the gold mines in his small municipality in western Colombia.

"Neither the president nor the governor of Tolima are interested," Jimenez said. Widespread poverty forces parents to bring their children with them when they go to work in the mines, the mayor claimed.

Angela, a mother interviewed by El Tiempo, has four children, three of which mine alongside her.
"On a good day with my children we take out a little less than a gram of gold from these mountains and the buyers pay $20 or $30, but not every day is the same," Angela said.

Some children are paid to run behind large machines which remove the earth, causing injuries that are sometimes very serious. The heat is intense: between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Others work with only the most rudimentary tools, sifting for specks of gold in streams.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/28914-colombian-govt-indifferent-to-child-mine-labor-mayor.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Here's the google translation from Colombia's El Tiempo regarding child mining laborers:

Together with their parents, daily dig the mountains in search of the precious metal.

In study Ataco mayor of the municipality located in southern Tolima Ibague to 4 hours, found that at least 450 children and adolescents aged 8 to 15 years, are barequeros or artisanal miners wrapped by gold fever. "Ataco has barequeros 450 children, engaged in artisanal mining in urban areas but this problem also extends to rural areas, "said Mayor Jose Antonio Jimenez, and described this as a" catastrophe ". He points out that many of these children do not go to school or if they did defected. "Most people do not read or write," said the president.

The precious metal laden mountains are visible in the urban area of ​​the municipality of 20,000 inhabitants on the list of the poorest in the Tolima.Every day children and parents scour the mountains in search of the precious metal and do so with sardine cans, iron shovels and drills, while others with wood trays perform the same work in the riverbanks Saldana and ATA. The mayor said that poverty forces families to bring their children to the mines to increase revenue.

Angela, a female head of household, raising 4 children and 3 go to the mine. "I help the 13 year old girl and two boys aged 12 and 10," says the woman of Tolima, and explains that if he worked alone would total earnings 20 000 pesos a day but when you have the help of their children's family gets income twice, yes, if it comes good luck has repeatedly come with empty pockets to house. " On a good day with my kids knock off these mountains a little less of a gram of gold and buyers pay 40 thousand or 50 thousand dollars, but everyday is not the same, "said the peasant. Meanwhile Walberto and children of 10 and 13 congregate with most barequeros in a court or area where it operates a backhoe and when this machine digs the rock all thrown away their rafts in search of land and then washed to clean seek a 'golden esquirlita', later in the day that they sell to buyers in the area or from other cities. "For a penny or esquirlita less than one gram of children receive 6000 pesos," says a barequero.

To counter this problem of child labor, the City built three sports centers in urban areas. At the time, electrified tennis, instalaparques children and has an active cultural program based on music and dance, but that's not enough. "What we do is not enough, we need more resources to advance recreation and nutrition programs for poor children," said Mayor Jose Antonio Jimenez, who sought help from the government and private entities. EDITORIAL TOLIMA

http://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/tolima/450-ninos-trabajan-en-mina-de-oro-en-tolima-_12738204-4?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eltiempo%2Ftitulares+%28eltiempo.com