Peer-reviewed article
Girls and Women in Mines: an Invisible Path of Forced Labour in Italy.
Salerno S ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This historical study examines the largely unknown history of girls and women who worked in Italian mines during the 19th and 20th centuries, across slate, asbestos, zinc-lead, and sulfur mining regions. The research documents their working conditions and the specific tasks they performed despite being underrepresented in records. The study traces the development of protective Italian legislation and its inadequate enforcement, particularly its suspension during World War I. The authors draw parallels between this historical exploitation and contemporary child labour in mines globally, as documented by organizations like the ILO and UNICEF.
Key points
- Girls and women were integral to the Italian mining industry across multiple regions and mineral types (slate, asbestos, zinc-lead, sulfur)
- They were relegated to specific tasks and underrepresented in historical documentation
- Italy developed protective legislation for mine workers, but enforcement was inadequate
- Protective legislation was suspended during World War I
- Historical patterns of child labour in Italian mines parallel contemporary global mining child labour
Limitations
This is a historical study that cannot directly measure the scale of child labour or its health impacts on specific individuals. It does not evaluate any interventions to address child labour.
Abstract
This study aims to shed light on the largely understudied history of girls and women working in Italian mines during the 19th and 20th centuries. Giovanni Loriga authored an outstanding paper on Pneumoconiosis in 1930 at the Johannesburg Conference. By examining his sources from earlier surveys, travel records, and congressional proceedings, the research uncovers data on women and girls in slate (Liguria), asbestos (Piedmont), zinc-lead (Sardinia and Lombardy), and sulfur mines (Sicily), along with their working conditions. The research findings reveal that girls and women were integral to the mining industry throughout Italy, despite being underrepresented and relegated to specific tasks. Ultimately, the paper explores the development of protective Italian legislation, its inadequate enforcement, and suspension during World War I. The paper concludes by highlighting the ongoing global issue of girls' labour in mines, drawing a parallel between the historical situation in Italy and the contemporary reality denounced by organizations like the ILO and UNICEF.