Support labor rights in gold mining in Colombia

Summary

This project will help 2 producer groups of artisanal miners from Colombia certify their mining practices under the fairtrade/fairmined standard and provide 2 local communities with assistance and support in the defense of labour rights.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

The municipalities of Segovia, Remedios, El Bagre and Zaragoza, in Antioquia live completely of gold mining activities and have endured critical social and environmental conditions because of it. School desertion rates are one of the highest in the country (over 60%), men and women work in unfair and dangerous conditions and children often labor in the mines. Additionally these lands have one of the highest mercury contamination rates in the world and illegal groups harrass locals constantly.

How will this project solve this problem?

This project will work with artisanal miners from Antioquia to improve their mining practices and certify them under the FAIRTRADE/FAIRMINED scheme which will give preferential market access to the miners and encourage them to develop social, labor and environmentally responsible extraction practices. Additionally, the project will identify labor rights violations, train and inform the community about their rights and contribute to the consolidation of a support network for the communities.

Potential Long Term Impact

At least 2.000 men, women and children will be trained and informed on labor rights, labor rights violations and the institutions were they can go for help. Additionally, 2 artisanal mining producer groups (at least 200 artisanal miners) will begin to develop social and environmentally responsible mining practices and will have the conditions required to get the FAIRTRADE/FAIRMINED certification.

Project Message

"The FAIRTRADE/FAIRMINED model takes a communitys problems and turns them into a business opportunity. A fair and sustainable opportunity for artisanal and small scale miners"
- Sandra Hernandez, Commercial executive