2024-03-17 23:22:34
To feed their families and meet some of their needs, dozens of children abandon school and take up mining activities every year in Mbaïki, a town located 105 km from Bangui, southwest of the Central African Republic. Driven by poverty for some or followership for others, these children in search of economic independence are today exposed to different dangers.
With our special correspondent in Ndolobo,
This followingnoon, the vehicle is traveling at 20 km/h on the sandy tracks of Lobaye. Carefully, the driver stops at times, looks for the right path then finally arrives at the Ndolobo mining site, which is 18 km north of Mbaïki. It is a large open-air quarry, not far from a river, run by a group of collectors native to Mbaïki.
Just at the entrance, a group of children sit on blocks of stone sharing palm wine. “ I dropped out of school this year to come get the diamond and the gold, explains Nestor, a 14-year-old. My parents are poor. I am struggling to support my family and finance my studies next year. »
Under this blazing sun, some carry heavy baskets filled with gravel to the watercourse, others wash them and sift them in order to sort the precious stones. It is artisanal and difficult work according to Samuel, also 14 years old: “ You have to dig several meters to get the diamond and the gold. Adults don’t distinguish us. We also have to dig and break large stones with sledgehammers. Every day we wake up at 3 hours in the morning to cover 18 km on foot. »
While some are divided between school and the construction site, Olivier, 15, has definitely turned his back on studies. “ Sometimes I earn between 50 and 60,000 CFA francs in two days. Sometimes, in a single day, I earn between 40 and 50,000 CFA francs. I also often come home empty-handed. »
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Children’s rights
In 2020, Gabriel lost his son in a mining site. For him, the mourning is not over. “ It’s hard work for the children, concedes this remorseful father. I will forever blame myself for dragging my child who was not yet 10 years old into this work. He died because a block of earth collapsed on him. »
In Central African Republic, the lack of economic opportunities pushes thousands of children to engage in sometimes dangerous activities. “ One of the main factors pushing children into mining work is related to the lack of economic opportunities. Added to this is the endemic poverty that some families experience in regions where the economy is largely informal and based on mining, analyzes Remy Djamouss, coordinator of the Center for the Promotion of Children’s Rights (CPDE). Typically, families rely on child labor to survive. »
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And to add: “ International conventions on children’s rights and even the child protection code in the Central African Republic prohibit child labor, especially when this work is dangerous and when it undermines children’s education. »
Even if there is no exact data on the number of children who practice mining activities, in Lobaye, around twenty mining sites attract each year according to sources around a hundred children aged 10 and 15 years old. .
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