Humanity

Buried in the earth in a rich seam carving its way from Lake Victoria in Uganda, lies the world's most prized metal, gold. But the fight to extract it is perilous and often deadly.  Guy Kelly  reports on conditions for the desperate workers who dig for it, and the people seeking a glimmer of hope I n the life of an artisanal gold miner, every day is a lottery, but no one ever seems to win. The sun is high on just another Thursday in Tiira, a scattered village in Uganda’s south-eastern corner, 20 miles north of  Lake Victoria and within spitting distance of the Kenyan border. At the end of a potholed track snaking off from the parish’s main strip, quiet has fallen over Margaret Ikee’s mine. It’s a hot, languid sort of afternoon. In the entrance to the mine, chickens and barefoot toddlers, roughly matched in number and not far off in size, scurry around on the blood-orange ground. Two tethered goats look on. Bar the odd rooster crow, the only noise is the scrape and thud of sp

Worldwide, as many as 168 million children have jobs. They earn a few cents an hour and they simply do not have enough time to go to school and improve their future prospects. Terre des Hommes is committed to millions of children who face the worst forms of child labour. These children are forced to work in plantations, mines, factories, as domestic slaves and as prostitutes. They perform exhausting work for many hours in a row, often in unhealthy and hazardous conditions. The work is physically, psychologically and/or morally harmful for children. Terre des Hommes is committed to millions of children who face the worst forms of child labour.

India has come under criticism after its parliament approved several controversial amendments to the country's child labour bill. The new bill prohibits children under the age of 14 from working - but makes an exception for "family businesses", including extended family. It also reduces the number of jobs 15-18 year olds are banned from doing. The government says the law will help poor families earn a living and give children a chance to acquire skills. However, the UN children's agency Uniindia cef and Indian Nobel prize winner Kailash Satyarti are among those to have criticised the bill. 'Invisible labour' Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told parliament that the exemptions would allow the government to "practically implement" the act. "We have enabled many safeguards in the new bill," he said. Under current legislation, children younger than 14 are only prohibited from working in jobs that are defined as

Considerable differences exist between the many kinds of work children do. Some are difficult and demanding, others are more hazardous and even morally reprehensible. Children carry out a very wide range of tasks and activities when they work. Defining child labour Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination. Children’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is generally regarded as being something positive. This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These kinds of activities contribute to children’s development and to the welfare of their families; they provide them with skills and experience, and help to prepare them to be productive members of society during their adult life. The term “child

THIS is with reference to the story (May 25) wherein some 12 million children are involved in some form of labour in Pakistan. Unicef estimated 10 million child labourers in 2012. In Pakistan, the employment of under-age children in work activities, ranging from light to hazardous forms of labour, exists in a number of sectors with varying degrees of prevalence. Recent estimates indicate that 11 to 12 million children, half of them below the age of 10, are employed as child labourers across the country. Most of the child labour prevails in the sector of brick kiln, smuggling of goods, workshops and hotels, etc. Children are also involved in begging, tobacco processes and also a large number of them are domestic labourers in the country. Following the 18th Amendment, child labour has become the legislative and administrative domain of provincial governments. Moreover, under Article 25-A of the Constitution, education has already been declared a fundamental right of every in