ILO Convention No. 182 June 1999 dictates to all
ratifying countries to combat all worst forms of child labour. Included
in those forms are all forms of slavery or practices similar to
slavery, all forms of prostitution or pornographic performances,
illicit activities such as the production and trafficking of drugs
as well as works that, its nature or by the circumstances in which
it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals
of children.
There are many types of mine that can be found
in Indonesia. Though the involvement of children working in mines
is known to exist, but yet it remains largely undocumented. Their
tasks are digging the ground, breaking up granites, spraying water
at the ground, and separating the gold sediment from other sub-stances
with mercury. The children are risked for being directly exposed
to the sun in the river mines, no safety equipment, use of mercury
and quicksilver with bare hands which can cause skin problems and
brain damage. A rapid assessment has been done in December 1990
in the province of Central Kalimantan.
The study describes the multidimensional aspects
of child workers at the gold mines. Child workers observed in the
study have following characteristics: most are aged 15 to 17, most
are male from Dayak tribes, dropped out of their secondary school,
they live with their family with 7 members, and their parents usually
finished elementary school and work as farmers or gold miners. The
children live near their school and the mining sites, they have
been working at the mines for 2 years and they earn good income.
