As you shop for Christmas gifts at the mall, you feel torn between a sparkling pair of diamond earrings and the new MP3 camera phone for that special someone. Your mind is on the surprise factor, not on the fact that both items may have been manufactured using products mined by children.
 
Despite ongoing efforts to eliminate the practice, more than a million children—some as young as five—spend their days mining diamonds, gold, coltan and other gems and metals. They toil away, often working for less than a dollar a day or a plate of food.

Diamonds
Diamond mining caught the world's attention last year with the release of Blood Diamond, a movie about Sierra Leone's diamond-fuelled war. The country is now at peace, but children continue to labour in the diamond mines, digging through the soil and sifting heavy mud in a pan. Poverty and a shortage of political willpower keep these children in the mines and out of school.

Click here to read more about Blood Diamond and several other motivating movies.
 
Gold
Gold mining employs around 200,000 children across the Sahel region of Africa, in countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso. Children are lowered into tunnels and shafts too narrow for adults. Inside, they risk death from explosions, cave-ins and suffocation. Those who work above ground must dig, haul loads and crush rocks in the blazing sun.

Click here to see a photo gallery about gold mining in Niger.

Coltan
Coltan is a mineral used in the manufacture of cell phones, laptops, pagers and personal digital assistants. It has been blamed for exacerbating the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where most of the world's coltan is found.

The United Nations reports that a third of the region's children are giving up school to dig for coltan and diamonds. Others are involved in the region's conflict as soldiers.

Click here to read more about coltan.
 
Some Practical Advice
While you can't change the world overnight, simply asking a few questions can help. The next time you buy a cell phone, a diamond ring or pair of earrings, consider asking the retailer:

• Do you know where the gemstones/minerals in this product come from?
• How do you ensure that children aren't employed in the extraction of these gemstones/minerals?
• How do you ensure that the sale of this product isn't funding conflict?

If you're stuck, an item from the World Vision gift catalogue always provides a safe and meaningful way to surprise your loved ones. Click here to learn more.