Posted on Tue, 15/08/2023 - 10:35
Children mining cassiterite in a quarry in Manono (Tanganyika).
Radio Okapi/Ph. Hippolyte Kapanga
Several children from the territory of Manono (Tanganyika) devote themselves to the artisanal exploitation of cassiterite during this period of school holidays. A team from Radio Okapi on a mission in the area made this observation.
These children claim to be orphans. They are looking for minerals to sell to support themselves.
Specialists in mining governance decry the lack of intervention by the authorities or humanitarian organizations to identify and help these children get out of the quarries
In the quarries of Mukieme Makila, Libende or Milles bêches in Manono, children are looking for cassiterite every day.
They say they do this work to meet the needs that parents cannot satisfy.
“I came to work to earn money for my school supplies. My father died long ago. If I had help, I wouldn't be here”, explains one of them.
A child can earn 3,000 Congolese francs per day, the equivalent of just over US$1.
But this amount is less than the effort provided.
A parent makes this call:
“Let the authorities or UNICEF intervene to support these children, who are 14, 15, 10 years old, so that they no longer go to the mining quarries”.
The presence of children in mining quarries has consequences for their growth and health, says the rector of the University of Manono and expert in mining governance, Ilunga Yolola.
The latter deplores the inaction of the authorities in the face of this phenomenon:
“As there are no spotlights, naturally state actors are less mobilized, less concerned about environmental and social issues related to the production of these minerals. Non-governmental organizations, both national and international, are unfortunately not present and Manono is not part of their priority area for action”.
At the territorial level, efforts are being made but unfortunately they are not enough, indicate some local sources.
Plusieurs enfants du territoire de Manono (Tanganyika) s’adonnent à l’exploitation artisanale de la cassitérite en cette période des vacances scolaires. Une équipe de Radio Okapi en mission dans la zone a fait ce constat. Ces enfants disent être des orphelins. Ils sont à la recherche des...
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