The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of a $4 million cooperative agreement to Pact, a leading international development organization, to support the United Republic of Tanzania’s efforts to address child labor and promote acceptable conditions of work in artisanal and small-scale gold production.
Administered by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, the project will build the capacity of government and civil society to reduce child labor and promote acceptable conditions of work in gold mining communities in the Geita region of Tanzania.
The project will enable key partners to produce and disseminate data, increase the capacity of the government to monitor and identify labor violations and pilot effective community-based approaches to withdrawing children from illegal and exploitative labor conditions.
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report identified the presence of child labor in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Tanzania. Children experiencing the worst forms of child labor in the sector are exposed to hazardous working conditions such as crawling through tiny and unreinforced mineshafts into deep, unstable pits; working with toxic metals and chemicals; and hauling gold ore bags and operating heavy machinery.
An international non-profit active in almost 40 countries, Pact currently implements the department’s Madagascar Shines and Pilares projects in the mica and gold sectors, respectively, and oversees flagship U.S. government programs in Tanzania, such as the ACHIEVE and Kizazi Kipya programs.