E-Waste
We follow the trail of discarded computers, TV's and fridges being shipped from Belgium to Africa. Hazardous fumes from these machines are poisoning the children who trawl through them in search of profit.
Each year 8 million containers pass through Antwerp's port. But with just 4 officers searching for toxic shipments, most illegal containers slip through. 'There must be hundreds that we can't stop in time,' tells one officer. A lot of toxic e-waste ends up in Ghana's rubbish tips, such as Agbobloshie. Here children like Kofi and Osman use stones and their bare hands to dismantle old computers. 'Our fathers and mothers aren't here. We've come here to earn money to take back to our hometown' they tell us. 'For 15 kilos, they'll give you 30,000 cedis.' 'Ghana may have signed all the international treaties banning the import of e-waste but it will decide itself when to apply them.'
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