On the eve of World Day Against Child Labor – June 12, 2015 – Human Rights Watch issued a 82-page report, “Precious Metal, Cheap Labor: Child Labor and Corporate Responsibility in Ghana’s Artisanal Gold Mines.” The report “documents the use of child labor in Ghana’s artisanal, or unlicensed, mines, where most mining takes place. It is estimated that thousands of children work in hazardous conditions in violation of Ghanaian and international law. They pull the gold ore out of shafts, carry and crush loads of ore, and process it with toxic mercury. Most child laborers are between the ages of 15 and 17, but younger children also work in Ghana’s mines.”
You may read an article about the report and download the report from the Human Rights Watch website.