In just five out of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions, there were 19,881 child laborers, of whom 10,217 were boys and 9,664 girls, working in 2010 for 86 small-scale mines, according to an official report released Wednesday.

The report from the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity also shows that 7,152 children, most of whom were primary and secondary school dropouts, worked for gold panning in nine administrative regions of the country.

The upsurge in panning for gold in Burkina Faso in the past years has caused high dropout rates with a large number of children lured to the gold mining sites.

As of February, 2015, 245 artisanal mining permits were issued by the government.

Many parents rely on their children who work in mines to help support the family, while child labor is allegedly exposed to all forms of exploitation and violence. Endi

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