References to occupational exposures children, who earn their livelihood by breaking down old computers and other high-tech devices to recover precious metals such as gold, copper and silver. The work is done largely by hand, using rudimentary techniques. Workers recovering glass by hammering cathode ray tubes or heating PCBs to remove capacitors are a common sight in most workshops dismantling e-waste. Workers did not use any protective gear to guard against hazardous substances released during the breaking of obsolete EEE. The Delhi area is the main hub for informal recycling of e-waste in India, with about 25,000 workers engaged in the various stages of the process. The recycling business is based on a network of collectors, traders and recyclers. Each phase of the process adds value to the materials and creates job opportunities for a great number of people. The e-waste market was not centred in one main area, but spread around different zones, each handling a specific stage of the process (for example storage, component separation, plastic shredding, acid processing/leaching, open burning and residue dumping). At the time, legislation on waste management has not proved effective in informal sectors, and was regarded as not providing sufficient protection for the estimated 80,000 persons working in the informal e-waste recycling sector and their families. The failure to incorporate the informal sector into Government strategies on the sound management and disposal of e-waste constitutes, in the former Special Rapporteur’s view, a violation of the obligations undertaken by the State under articles 6, 7 and 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The former Special Rapporteur is concerned about the extremely dangerous recovery processes and techniques used in the informal e-waste recycling sector and their adverse effects on the right to health of those employed in small-scale informal workshops. Such health-threatening practices include the physical breaking of hazardous components, open-air incineration and acid leaching to extract gold and copper, and the melting of lead. Most of these activities involve physical dismantling by bare hands and basic tools. Workers were observed to not use any protective gear to prevent exposure to the hazardous substances contained in EEE; indeed, most of them possessed very little or no knowledge of the risks associated with the handling of these hazardous substances or the precautions to use to minimize their adverse health effects. “Medical Waste” (A/HRC/18/31) (2011) Each type of hazardous medical waste presents hazards that jeopardise the enjoyment of human rights by workers and others. The 2011 thematic report contained several examples of the adverse impact that the improper management and disposal of medical waste continue to have on the enjoyment of human rights in many countries. All individuals exposed to health-care waste are potentially at risk of being injured or infected, including medical staff: doctors, nurses, sanitary staff and hospital maintenance personnel; workers in support services linked to health-care facilities such as laundries, waste-handling and transportation services; and workers in waste-disposal facilities, including scavengers. While all persons exposed to hazardous medical waste are at risk of health impacts, the main occupational groups at risk include hospital personnel, workers handling and transporting waste, persons working at waste disposal facilities, and scavengers. In many developing countries, nurses and (to a lesser extent) doctors do not receive adequate information on the hazards Challenges faced by workers enforcement gaps • Exploitation of those most at risk • Opaque supply chains and the transfer of hazardous work • Disconnected efforts on occupational and environmental health • Informal economy • Failures to realize the right to information • Inadequate standards of protection • Exploitation of those most at risk • Failures to realize the right to information • Limited progress in prevention of exposure A/HRC/39/48 32 Report