A/HRC/33/41 contaminated with lead and other toxics. 130 In Latin America, many of these recycling and recovery operations take place in communities, not in clearly defined waste dumps. 131 97. Children are found with record levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies at such waste sites.132 Young girls, still developing and approaching the age of reproduction, work as collectors or vendors in highly toxic environments. 133 At La Chureca in Managua, Nicaragua, approximately half of all waste pickers were less than 18 years old.134 In Guiyu, China, about 80 per cent of children suffer from respiratory diseases, and there has been a surge in cases of leukaemia and concentrations of lead in blood are high. 135 E. Responsibility to ensure an effective remedy 98. Businesses have a shared responsibility with the State to realize the right of children to an effective remedy for violations resulting from childhood exposure to toxics. Businesses should help ensure, inter alia, non-recurrence, rehabilitation and compensation, as part of an effective remedy. 1. Non-recurrence 99. Preventing the recurrence of human rights violations is a critical element of an effective remedy, and is closely linked to the right to information. The toxic legacy of our past cannot be erased in its entirety, but collectively, we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. States should ensure that businesses systematically transition from the manufacture, use and emission of hazardous substances to safer alternatives, including alternative materials and mitigation technologies to eliminate the intrinsic or unknown hazards wherever possible. 100. States must ensure that businesses prove that their chemicals are safe, not just for the average adult, but for children who may be exposed and where substances are being used. Otherwise, there is a risk of recurrence of human rights impacts, as has repeatedly been illustrated. 101. States should ensure businesses prevent emissions into the environment to the maximum extent possible as part of their human rights obligations, avoiding further introductions of toxic chemicals and additional contaminated sites requiring remediation to prevent impacts. 2. Rehabilitation 102. A core component of an effective remedy for toxic chemical contamination is rehabilitation, both of the environment and of the people affected. Around the world, contaminated sites continue to plague children in the nearby communities. While some States are making strides in remediating contaminated sites, hundreds of thousands of contaminated sites from businesses remain. States must ensure that businesses clean up contaminated sites to protect children in the future. 130 131 132 133 134 135 20 ILO, The Global Impact of E-Waste, p. 22. United Nations University and GSMA, “E-waste in Latin America” (2015). ILO, The Global Impact. Ibid., p. 20. Ibid., p. 21. Ibid., p. 22.