R 301427Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6097
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS LUSAKA 000770 
 
 
DRL/ILCSR FOR TU DANG 
DEPT OF LABOR FOR ILAB TINA MCCARTER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EMIN SOCI ZA
SUBJECT: Digging Deeper into the Pit of Child Mining 
 
REF:  Lusaka 573 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: A recent International Labor Organization (ILO) 
report on child labor in Zambia's non-traditional mining sector--the 
first of its kind--revealed that child miners are routinely exposed 
to significant health hazards.  NGO representatives at the 
post-presentation discussion cited high education costs, the lack of 
alternative income sources, and lax enforcement of safety laws as 
central to the problem.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) On July 14, P/E intern attended an ILO meeting to discuss 
findings of the U.S. Department of Labor-financed "Rapid Assessment 
of Child Labour in the Non-Traditional Mining Sector in Zambia." 
The report addressed child labor in formal and informal 
non-copper/non-cobalt mines.  In attendance were trade union, mining 
federation, NGO, and government officials (including Labor Ministry 
representatives).  Findings show child labor in non-traditional 
mining is a concern, but less so as compared to the agricultural 
sector (where 90 percent of child labor in Zambia occurs).  The ILO 
report expands a thin body of knowledge on the subject (reftel). 
However, findings are anecdotal and cannot be generalized across 
Zambia. 
 
¶3. (U) Children in the study tended to be older teenagers (though 
miners as young as seven were included) from large, poor households. 
Most had dropped out of school, leading NGO reps to cite 
non-tuition costs (e.g. uniforms and school supplies) as a concern. 
These participants emphasized that government and NGOs should 
provide families with alternative income-generating activities. 
They also repeated often-heard concerns about the role of HIV/AIDS 
in driving orphans into the mining sector. 
 
¶4. (U) Child miners face significant health hazards.  They are 
exposed to harmful substances, suffer heat-related illness, and 
endure physical and psychological stress.  Many are undernourished. 
Open-air living quarters increase their risk of contracting malaria. 
 NGO reps suggested (and ILO personnel concurred) that because many 
children live unsupervised among their peers, they are susceptible 
to alcohol abuse, sexual exploitation, and STDs. 
 
¶5. (U) NGO reps mentioned lax enforcement of Zambia's mining and 
safety laws as a pressing concern.  Informal mining in particular 
has largely escaped oversight.  In light of the Cabinet's slow 
progress in approving a national child labor policy, as well as the 
Minister of Labour and Social Security's failure to sign the 
statutory instrument regarding the worst forms of child labor, NGO 
reps expressed concern regarding government's ability to act 
promptly.  Attendees also cited government resource constraints as 
an obstacle to increasing the scope and frequency of mine 
inspections.  At the meeting's conclusion, a representative from the 
Zambian government's Department of Mine Safety verbally committed to 
improving the training of mine managers and safety inspectors, as 
well as increasing the frequency of inspections.  The ILO will 
organize a follow-up meeting in 4-6 months. 
 
 
KOPLOVSKY