A new documentary produced by the United Nations highlights the issue of child labour in tanzanite mines in Mererani, Tanzania, the only place where the gem is found, The East African reports. The film, titled, Gem Slaves: Tanzanites Child Labour, was launched by the UN in mid-September and has aired on some television stations in the US, UK and in Europe. Sammy Mollel, the chairman of the Tanzania Mineral Dealers Association, said that some members have already started losing clients in major markets, including the US. Clients have responded sharply saying they “don’t want to be mixed up in child abuse claims,” a trader told The East African.%%The documentary, produced by the Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), which is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, alleges that everyday some 4,000 child miners, between the ages of eight and 14, risk their lives in dangerous working conditions. It blames the practice of child labour on factors such as extreme poverty, a lack of education and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.%%Local traders have called on the government to “take appropriate measures to repair the damaged image” of the $300 million tanzanite trade. Paul Massanja, the acting commissioner of minerals at the ministry of energy and minerals, told The East African that the country’s laws require miners to hire people above 16 years of age, while conceding that children may sometimes be used outside mining areas in the sand separation process. The government will launch a media campaign this week to bring the truth to light, he added.