Takeaways from AP's report on child labor in Nigeria lithium mines

abcnews.go.com:

Growing demand for the lithium used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage has created a new frontier for mining in Nigeria

NASARAWA, Nigeria — Growing demand for the lithium used in batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage has created a new frontier for mining in Nigeria.

But it’s led to exploitation of children who are often poor and take work in small, illegal mines to support themselves and their families.

The Associated Press recently traveled to the deep bush of Pasali, near the federal capital of Abuja in Nasarawa state, to follow and interview miners operating illegal mines, including some where children work. AP also witnessed negotiations and an agreement to purchase lithium by a Chinese company with no questions about the source of the lithium or how it was obtained.

The International Labour Organization estimates more than 1 million children work in mines and quarries worldwide, a problem particularly acute in Africa, where poverty, limited access to education and weak regulations add to the problem. Children, working mostly in small-scale mines, work long hours at unsafe sites, crushing or sorting rocks, carrying heavy loads of ore, and exposing themselves to toxic dust that can cause respiratory problems and asthma.

Some takeaways from AP's report:

Lithium mining began in Pasali a decade ago, transforming a remote and slumbering community into a bustling site for small-scale illegal mining, said Shedrack Bala, a 25-year-old who began working in the mines at age 15 and now owns his own pit. Dozens of mines now dot the area, all unlicensed.

The mining methods are primitive and dangerous. Miners use chisels and heavy hammers to break through rocks, descending several feet into