How Mining Industries Implement Human Rights Across the entire Supply Chain: A focus on Child Labor within African gold mines.

Details

Supervisors

Desmet, Carlos

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

The mining sector contributes to the economic, social, and communal growth of countries worldwide. However, when viewed through the lens of human rights, the business entails a significant level of risk, which can be linked to the industry's operational complexity and managerial issues. The life-threatening conditions in terms of the health and safety of child labor within African gold mines are certainly a violation of human rights. This calls for strengthening the understanding of the interventions related to the human rights practicum implemented in the region and the need to find greater solutions for businesses and key stakeholders to carry out. To identify the research gap and find solutions to the issue of child labor, this study conducted qualitative research. Eleven employees working as either general manager, supply chain manager, sustainability manager, or security manager representing ten African gold mines were interviewed to provide solutions. The study revealed a high rate of prevalence of child labor in Africa's gold mines because of varied reasons, including lack of social resources, lack of international and local regulations, poverty, cost-efficiency, and labor-intensive nature of the industry. The research indicated a need for external audits, the inclusion of third-party evaluators, a more active role of government and social welfare agencies in combating child labor, as well as more local and international laws.