The Children Risking Their Lives In Underwater Gold Mines

Video Description

Children Of The Dirty Gold: An investigation into the use of child labour in dangerous Philippine underwater gold mines. Subscribe to Journeyman for daily uploads: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=journeymanpictures The Children Working On Indian Coal Mines https://youtu.be/0ZA5Az09Zj4 How Asia's Economic Miracle Collapsed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS-MVu5v4b8 Hard Labour Nicaragua https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkAnvHnqJVw For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=68884&bid=2 Many of Philippines' 5.5 million child workers are risking their lives digging for "Dirty Gold" in unbelievable conditions. Desperate men and children scour underwater mine-shafts in this terrifying report. Breathing through nothing more than a thin pipe connected to an air compressor, going 30 foot deep underwater for hours in search of gold is all in a day’s work for 16-year-old Gerald. "I'm afraid, if the earth collapses, I will get buried underneath" says the teenager. Surrounded by rock walls in the pitch black darkness of the water, the men chip away at walls for 3 hours. They find no gold. For many like Gerald school is a distant memory, and illegally diving for gold the only alternative to starvation. Hundreds of deaths by electrocution, drowning and even the possibility of Mercury poisoning have had little impact on compressor mining activities, which continue un-policed and unregulated. There appears little hope of change on the horizon. "If I could only give job opportunities - I will take them away from compressor mining. It is just that I have no alternative at this point" says Ricarte Padilla, Mayor of Jose Panganiban - Philippines' so-called "Gold Coast". As it is, the children and family men unearthing 60-80kg of gold per month see the lions share of wealth disappear into the Chinese black market. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeymanpictures Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JourneymanVOD https://twitter.com/JourneymanNews ABC Australia - Ref 6514 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world's most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world's top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you'll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.