Zambia: Child Miners Risk Death in Zambia’s Copper Pits

Police rescued 38 children from Sensele Mine in July

Drawn by the promise of quick money, young men, many still in their teens, risk their lives as illegal miners in Zambia’s dangerous copper mines. Politically connected people profit from this, while state institutions grow weaker. This illicit mineral trade extends beyond Zambia, forming part of a wider cross-border network across Southern Africa.

Mourners gather at a grave on the outskirts of Chingola, Zambia. They are burying 21-year-old…