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Story Publication logo July 11, 2013

Child Labor in Burkina Faso's Gold Rush

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Media file: MineIsBorn_Untold_Stories_Price_Burkina_Faso02.jpg
English

In just a quarter century, one of the world's poorest countries has transformed itself into Africa's...

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Media file: UntoldStories_RockCrushers_Price_BurkinaFaso08.jpg
Rock crushers pulverize gold ore into a fine powder which is then processed with mercury to obtain pure gold. Children constantly breathe the dust created by the machines. Image by Larry C. Price. Burkina Faso, 2013.

The broadcast aired July 10, 2013, on the PBS NewsHour.

Gold production has more than doubled in Burkina Faso in recent years. But that boom has led to a increase in the employment of child laborers in small, artisanal mines.

Photojournalist Larry C. Price visited several communities to document the conditions.

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