Carte blanche. Efforts must be made to permanently eradicate child labor in the gold sector. The International Labor Organization (ILO) as well as the Ministry of Mines and Strategic Resources (MMRS) intend to make it their battle horse. The representative of the ILO, Coffi Dominique Agossou and the Minister of Mines, Olivier H. Rakotomalala addressed the issue during their meeting which took place on Friday at the headquarters of the MMRS in Ampandrianomby. For Olivier Rakotomalala, it is primarily a concern for transparency vis-à-vis the traceability of gold, extracted from Malagasy mines. A clarity through which the famous yellow metal from the Big Island will comply with the requirements in relation to human rights. An approach that matters a lot, especially for the gold refining operations recently undertaken by the Malagasy government. “The fight will be carried out at the level of the gold sector where children are involved, so that the traceability of the supply chain of the yellow metal complies with the standards required to allow the Decentralized territorial communities to benefit from it”, explains the MRS.
Cooperation
The ILO and the MMRS will work together to try to stem the phenomenon which is indeed present. For Coffi Agossou, “the ILO is an institution that advocates the fight against child labor in all its forms and in all sectors, including the mining sector”. To do this, the two parties will start by “planning projects and activities” to eradicate child labor in the gold and mining sector in general. It is the harsh living conditions, driven in large part by the gold rush that pushes some parents to drag their children into the hellish wake of mining work. Alarm bells have already been sounded about child labor in mines. The latter who are sent underground to do the work or even on the banks of the rivers to sift the sand, in search of the famous yellow metal.