Lives of children miners

In many Nigerian mining communities, children wake before sunrise to work at mining sites instead of attending school. They use shovels, pans, and other tools to dig for gold and minerals, often alongside adults, to help their families survive. These children face long hours of physical labor, exposure to dangerous chemicals and heavy machinery, and miss out on formal education. Nigeria's artisanal and small-scale mining sector, including gold mining, has documented child labor, driven by poverty, limited access to education, and the need for additional household income.

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