‘Fragile economy forces children to labor in mines’ 16 June 2020

Facing an uncertain economy, for thousands of children in southern African country of Zimbabwe, who are toiling in an underground gold mine, the World Day Against Child Labor on Friday is just any other day. Adorning torn clothes, barefoot, and laced with dangerous chemicals used in mining, children like 14-year old Jimson Bande are engaged in this gold rush over the past many years in Chakari village in the western province of Mashonaland. But unlike 19th-century gold rush explorers, these children remain poor, even after discovering gold. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Bande said he had run-away from his home in Chivi, a district in the Masvingo province, south of the country because his parents were unable to pay his school fees.

…The parents of this child laborers are also happy that they are bringing money home. “I am poor personally and I could not support my child. I should thank my son for the support he is giving us now as a family,” said 46-year old Gibson Bande, Jimson’s father. In 2018, Zimbabwe had tried to eliminate the worst form of child labor by implementing an action plan to stop human trafficking. It also increased budget allocations for education. The country has also ratified all key International Conventions concerning child labor which include the International Labor Organization Convention related to minimum age or work. The minimum age for hazardous work was set at 18 years. But, with the fragile economy, these measures seem to have no impact on the ground, say child rights activists.