The Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sub-sector in the Philippines accounts for around 80 per cent of gold production. It employs an estimated 350,000 workers, of which 18,000 are women and children. Its operations are largely unregulated, often operate illegally with less supervision, and exist in rural communities in the Philippines, where farming and other occupations do not provide enough for families to survive.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) believes that legalization of small-scale mining is a key step on the road to sustainability. Support for the transition from the informal to formal economy will help address decent work deficits and improve working conditions in ASGM.

Funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), the project, Convening Actors to Develop and Implement Strategies to Reduce Child Labour and Improve Working Conditions in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (CARING GOLD MINING PROJECT) in the Philippines, will address the problem of child labour and poor working conditions in ASGM operations.

The CARING Gold Mining Project will support the sub-sector towards setting-up of legal and regulated Peoples’ Small-Scale Mines (Minahang Bayan) that are compliant with environmental, health and labour standards. It will work with BanToxics!, which has long been partnering with ASGM communities in the area of eliminating use of mercury, and the Coalition for Small-Scale Miners. It will reach out to communities and establish a convergence platform where different government agencies led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and local government units in Camarines Norte, which is the pilot province, can come together to support this effort.

The Project will pursue the following components:

1. Strengthening of laws, policies and action plans and their enforcement and implementation to better address child labour and working conditions in ASGM.
2. Facilitating the access of vulnerable households living in ASGM communities to social protection and livelihood programmes and supporting their transition to formal operations.
3. Setting up and operationalization of mechanisms to increase transparency and monitoring of child labour and working conditions in gold mining supply chains, particularly ASGM, by mandated Government agencies and mining related stakeholders.
4. Setting up of global networks to reduce child labour and to improve working conditions in ASGM.
5. Supporting and disseminating innovative solutions to reduce child labour and working conditions in ASGM.

For further information please contact:

Ms Arleen Grace Taguba 
Project Officer
Convening Actors to Develop and Implement Strategies
to Reduce Child Labour and Improve Working Conditions
in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
(CARING GOLD MINING PROJECT)

ILO Country Office for the Philippines (CO-Manila)
19th Floor, Yuchengco Tower 6819 Ayala Avenue
Makati City 1200 Philippines
Tel : +63 2 8580 9900
Fax : +63 2 8856 7597
Email

____________________________________________________________

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-28105-15-75-K-11.

This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. One hundred percentage of the total costs of the project or programme is financed with Federal funds, for a total of 5,000,000 dollars.

____________________________________________________________