A/HRC/18/30 from 50–75 USD. According to the information received, the children are forced to work to pay off their debt. The middlemen bring both boys and girls to work in the mines. The girls living and working in the mines are often sexually abused by adult mine workers and employers.11 I. International and national market forces 44. The current financial crisis has seen demand in investments such as property fall and, with inflation on the rise and the lack of confidence in paper money, demand for gold has seen a huge increase.12 As of April 2011, the price of gold hit a record high of $1,466 per ounce.13 Additionally, the increased usage of mobile phones has resulted in the increased international demand and price for coltan. International demand for minerals leads families and children to “rush” to work in this sector because they see this as a quick way to informally make money (see A/HRC/18/51). 45. The discovery of new mineral reserves tends to result in “rushes” for gold and diamonds. This has been the case for gold in Brazil, Ecuador and Papua New Guinea.14 Madagascar has also experienced a “sapphire rush”.15 On her recent mission to Peru, the Special Rapporteur was able to see the effects of the gold rush in Madre Dios, Peru (see A/HRC/18/30/Add.2). J. Discrimination 46. Many children who work also come from groups that have been discriminated against and/or marginalized, for example, indigenous peoples, migrants or those given a certain social status such as caste. For example, countries may have a highly stratified society which in many communities dictates the kind of work one does. This means that a family from a particular stratum can only perform certain jobs. The lower you are in this stratified society the lower paid the jobs that one can perform. Consequently, one finds that many children who work are those from the lower strata.16 This makes them doubly vulnerable to abuses. K. Lack of social structures 47. The lack of traditional family and social structures in artisanal mining and quarrying communities increases the likelihood of child slavery. This is especially true for migrant and trafficked children working in this sector. They are often undocumented, do 11 12 13 14 15 16 Joint allegation letter sent to India, Bangladesh and Nepal on 15 October 2010. There has been no Government response. Robin Harding, Javier Blas and Alan Beattie, “World economy: In gold they rush”, Financial Times, 12 November 2010. Availabe from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d77d01f8-ee90-11df-9db000144feab49a.html#axzz15SYoPHE1 (accessed on 1 July 2011). Lewa Pardomuan, “Precious – Gold surges to record on euro, silver at $40”, Reuters, 8 April 2011. Available from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/08/markets-preciousidUSL3E7F80N320110408 (accessed on 1 July 2011). See International Institute for Environment and Development, Breaking new ground: the report of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project, (London and Sterling, Earthscan Publications Ltd, 2002). ibid. See ILO/IPEC and ILO/SECTOR. 2004, Action against child labour in small-scale mining & quarrying: A thematic evaluation (Geneva, 2004). 11