772 Child Workers Employed in Coal and Lignite Mines

2012 data indicate child workers in coal and lignite mines according to study by The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV).

TEPAV’s “Mining Sector: Child Workers, Law and Statistics” titled research study based on Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data reports 164 15-year-old, 334 16-year-old, and 274 17-year-old child workers in coal and lignite mines as of 2012 year-end. 

The total number of workers under 18 makes 772.

Only 14.5 percent of those working in coal and lignite mines are registered employees, according to the same data. In other words, 85.5 percent of under-18 workers are working off-the-record.

Monthly income 226 liras

The study also states the average net income of child workers as 226 liras. 

“When we look at the monthly net income information on TÜİK’s micro data set, we see this striking picture: the average net income of child workers is merely 226 TL. 

“The statistics show serious exploitation of child workforce in this sector in which, having already very severe working conditions, child employment is prohibited.”  

1308 child workers in the mine 

Some of the data in the study are as follows: 

* 133,000 people are employed in the entire mining sector, including all its sub-units and activities as of end of 2012. The ratio of those between ages 15-19 to the whole sector is 4.7 percent.

* The distribution of the 4.7 percent between ages 15-19 is as such: 15-year-olds 0.32 percent, 16-year-olds 0.46 percent, 17-year-olds 0.45 percent, 18-year-olds 2.61 percent, 19-year-olds 0.86 percent.

* These figures show that 361 of workers employed in the mining sector are 15 years old, 519 16 years old, 508 17 years old, 2949 18 years old, and 971 19 years old.

* The unregistered employment rate in the sector of workers under 18 is 47.1, and of those over 18 it is 12.3 percent (according to TÜİK data).

* TÜİK figures portray sector-wide average weekly work hours as 43 hours for those under 18, and 53 for those 18 and over. 

Rights violations

The study also calls attention to these points:

* Child workers’ employment registration and earnings status in the coal and lignite extraction sector is worse than both the mining sector overall and than child workers in Turkey overall. 

* Although legislative regulations are quite clear on child workers, the statistics point to a highly serious rights violation problem, and expose the need to strengthen inspections and sanctions on this issue. (YY/PU/BM)

* You can access TEPAV’s study in Turkish through this link.

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.