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Up to 200 million people mine for a living worldwide. And half of those work for small-scale operations rather than the more visible large-scale mining sector.
Their employment is more precarious, their wages are lower and safety standards are lower still. Since the workers and not the employers shoulder the risks, it's not surprising that small-scale mining activities have spiralled over the last five years.
Braulio Mamani is a former miner in the silver mines in Potosi in Bolivia, which have claimed the lives of some 8 million since they started in the sixteenth century. He takes us to meet the miners working there today.
