Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM) has demanded the removal of school children at Tilola and Chisese gold mining sites in Traditional Authority Mwirang’ombe in Karonga District.
Speaking in an interview on Friday, EAM Karonga district project coordinator Lusungu Mangochi described the presence of children in mining sites as a violation of their rights to education.
She said: “Apart from irreparable environmental and land damage, what we have seen here is deplorable. School-going children loitering around while some doing mining activities instead of going to school.
“We have also seen women working under harsh conditions.”
I Jordan Simeon-Phiri
Mangochi also bemoaned the continued sale of arable land to gold miners, saying it is depriving people of farm lands.
“The sad thing is that traditional leaders are sanctioning this illegal gold mining by allowing their
subjects to sell their land,” she said.
Mangochi has since called on relevant authorities to intervene so that children and women are not abused in mining sites.
A Standard Four learner (name withheld) at Tilola Primary School said he was at the site for piecework to earn money for soap.
Another learner at Chipeta Primary School said she was working to get money to buy other necessities.
The mining sites’ chairperson Wallace Dzimbiri said miners in collaboration with traditional leaders put in place controlling measures to prevent school children from working at the area.
“If there are children around then they must be here without my knowledge,” he said.
Karonga district social welfare officer Henry Mshanga feigned ignorance of the development.
“My office will deploy child protection workers to gather more details on the matter,” he said.
With funding from the Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurchAid, EAM is implementing Fighting Inequalities Through Improved Local and Mining Governance in Malawi Project in the district
