Miners in Sierra Leone are struggling for crumbs in the $250 million annual diamond industry. Working through harsh weather conditions with little pay, these miners are also exposed to risky health conditions. In order to ameliorate their living conditions, a handful of labourers and International organisations call out to the government to regulate the mining sector.
Hundreds of thousands of diamond miners take their shovels and sieves each morning to the mineral rich terrain in Sierra Leone’s Wild East region surrounding Koidu, seen as the capital of diamond mining in West Africa.Four of the world’s 21 largest diamonds have been found in Sierra Leone and the country’s diamond industry is an estimated $250 million a year. But flawed governance means that only a tiny fraction of this wealth benefits locals. Labourers work under hard conditions which do not permit them to earn a living.
I don’t have an alternative way to fend for myself except here. I don’t have anyone. I lost my husband and I am a single mother. I don’t have any other way to make money.
MARIATU TARAWALLIE, Quarry Worker
However, in the face of abject poverty and few job opportunities, diamond miners in Koidu say that they have little or no choice.Human rights campaigners call the supporter system a form of “debt bondage” and “indentured labour” that sees miners trapped in cycles of poverty and poor health conditions.
Quarrying has a lot of health implications ranging from respiratory track issues down to mental health issues. For instance, quarry granite releases chemicals like silica, especially; the rock has silica, which can cause Silicosis and also can cause chronic bronchitis.
SIMEON CONTEH, Medical Doctor, Makeni Government Hospital
Critics believe improvements to licensing for artisanal miners is deemed expensive and bureaucratic as well as the formation of worker cooperatives could vastly improve conditions. Currently, regulations are there but are not applied, which is a call for the government to reinforce these regulations.