The coal kids

Afghanistan • Even with the help of heavy machinery and safety equipment, mining is still a dangerous job. In Afghanistan's Baghlan province, 290 kilometres north of the capital, Kabul, coal is dug out of mines by hand and loaded on to donkeys. Here, usually covered from head to toe in black coal dust, boys as young as eight years old work underground as labourers.

After the Taliban takeover, in August 2021, international aid to Afghanistan stopped, sanctions were put in place and the economy contracted by 20 per cent or more. Since then, coal has provided a vital source of revenue for the regime, helped by the rise in energy prices since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Taliban has been expanding coal exports with no regard for ethical or environmental concerns.

The exact number of children working in the country's mines is not known. But in a 2022 survey, 21 per cent of Afghan families with a male head of household reported at least one child working — up from 13 per cent the year before. For families with a female head of household, the number jumped from 19 per cent in 2021 to 29 per cent in 2022.