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Family Hardship and Cultural Values: Child Labor in Malian Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities

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  • Hilson, Gavin

Abstract

This paper contributes to the debate on child labor in small-scale mining communities, focusing specifically on the situation in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that the child labor now widespread in many of the region’s small-scale mining communities is a product of a combination of cultural issues, household-level poverty, and rural livelihood diversification. Experiences from Komana West, a subsistence gold panning area in Southern Mali, are drawn upon to make this case. The findings suggest that the sector’s child labor “problem” is far more nuanced than international organizations and policymakers have diagnosed.

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  • Hilson, Gavin, 2012. "Family Hardship and Cultural Values: Child Labor in Malian Small-Scale Gold Mining Communities," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(8), pages 1663-1674.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:40:y:2012:i:8:p:1663-1674
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2012.03.017
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    8. Bryceson, Deborah Fahy & Jønsson, Jesper Bosse, 2010. "Gold Digging Careers in Rural East Africa: Small-Scale Miners' Livelihood Choices," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 379-392, March.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Maconachie, Roy & Hilson, Gavin, 2016. "Re-Thinking the Child Labor “Problem” in Rural sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Sierra Leone’s Half Shovels," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 136-147.
    3. Kotsadam, Andreas & Tolonen, Anja, 2016. "African Mining, Gender, and Local Employment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 325-339.
    4. Fernando Morante-Carballo & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar & Paúl Carrión-Mero, 2022. "A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Research on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-29, July.
    5. Zabsonré, Agnès & Agbo, Maxime & Somé, Juste, 2018. "Gold exploitation and socioeconomic outcomes: The case of Burkina Faso," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 206-221.
    6. Gatsinzi, Angelique & Hilson, Gavin, 2022. "‘Age is just a number’: Articulating the cultural dimension of child labour in Africa's small-scale mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    7. Posso, Alberto, 2023. "Bilingual education and child labor: Lessons from Peru," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 840-872.
    8. Poignant, Adrian, 2023. "Small-scale mining and agriculture: Evidence from northwestern Tanzania," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    9. Hilson, Gavin & Van Bockstael, Steven & Sauerwein, Titus & Hilson, Abigail & McQuilken, James, 2021. "Artisanal and small-scale mining, and COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: A preliminary analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    10. Paschal, Makungu & Kauangal, Jignesh, 2023. "Women position in artisanal and small-scale mining in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    11. Santos, Rafael J., 2018. "Blessing and curse. The gold boom and local development in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 337-355.
    12. Chen, Shuang, 2018. "Education and transition to work: Evidence from Vietnam, Cambodia and Nepal," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 92-105.
    13. Amidu Kalokoh & Lada V. Kochtcheeva, 2022. "Governing the artisanal gold mining sector in the Mano River Union: A comparative study of Liberia and Sierra Leone," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(7), pages 1398-1413, October.
    14. Dunne, Máiréad & Humphreys, Sara, 2022. "The edu-workscape: Re-conceptualizing the relationship between work and education in rural children’s lives in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 27(C).
    15. Katherine C. Malpeli & Peter G. Chirico, 2013. "The influence of geomorphology on the role of women at artisanal and small‐scale mine sites," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(1), pages 43-54, February.
    16. Fritz, Morgane M.C. & Maxson, Peter A. & Baumgartner, Rupert J., 2016. "The mercury supply chain, stakeholders and their responsibilities in the quest for mercury-free gold," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 177-192.
    17. Bürgi Bonanomi, Elisabeth & Elsig, Manfred & Espa, Ilaria, 2015. "The Commodity Sector and Related Governance Challenges from a Sustainable Development Perspective: The Example of Switzerland Current Research Gaps," Papers 865, World Trade Institute.
    18. Busquet, Milande & Bosma, Niels & Hummels, Harry, 2021. "A multidimensional perspective on child labor in the value chain: The case of the cocoa value chain in West Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).

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