Child Labour
Because children are considered an easy source of cheap labor, they are regularly employed in the diamond mining industry. Over 200 million children around the world have been forced to give up school, sports, play and sometimes even their families and homes to work under dangerous, harmful and abusive conditions. In some areas of Africa, children make up more than a small part of the workforce. One survey of diamond miners in the Lunda Norte province of Angola found that 46% of miners were between the ages of 5 and 16.
For children trapped in the diamond mines, life is full of hardship. Children work long days, often six or seven days a week. Compared with adults, they are even more vulnerable to injuries and accidents. Physically challenging tasks such as digging with heavy shovels or carrying bags of gravel can leave them hurt or in pain. Because of their small size, children also may be asked to perform the most dangerous activities such as entering narrow mineshafts or descending into pits where landslides may claim their lives.
Many, if not most, child miners do not attend school. As adults, these children often will have little choice but to continue working as miners. Child labor thereby condemns many children to a lifetime in the mines, robbing them as well as their countries of a brighter future. At Brilliant Earth, we believe that every child deserves an education. As part of our non-profit initiatives, we have funded a program that removes children from diamond mines and pays for their schooling.
For children trapped in the diamond mines, life is full of hardship. Children work long days, often six or seven days a week. Compared with adults, they are even more vulnerable to injuries and accidents. Physically challenging tasks such as digging with heavy shovels or carrying bags of gravel can leave them hurt or in pain. Because of their small size, children also may be asked to perform the most dangerous activities such as entering narrow mineshafts or descending into pits where landslides may claim their lives.
Many, if not most, child miners do not attend school. As adults, these children often will have little choice but to continue working as miners. Child labor thereby condemns many children to a lifetime in the mines, robbing them as well as their countries of a brighter future. At Brilliant Earth, we believe that every child deserves an education. As part of our non-profit initiatives, we have funded a program that removes children from diamond mines and pays for their schooling.