Special report : Inside the Congo cobalt mines that exploit children
Summary
TLDRIn the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), thousands of unregulated mines exploit children working in harsh conditions, earning meager wages. The DRC, rich in minerals like cobalt—a critical component in lithium-ion batteries—sees children as young as four mining without gloves or masks, risking health and safety. The cobalt is sold cheaply to Chinese traders and ends up in global batteries, fueling multinational corporations while the miners suffer. Amnesty International's investigation revealed human rights abuses, but little has changed, with child labor persisting for the production of coveted minerals.
Takeaways
- 🌍 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has numerous unregulated and unmonitored mines where children work under harsh conditions.
- 👧 Children as young as four are involved in mining, losing their childhoods to labor in these dangerous environments.
- 💰 The work is poorly paid, with children earning as little as the equivalent of a pound for a 12-hour day of labor.
- 🛠️ Mining operations are rudimentary, with hand-dug tunnels and no safety equipment, leading to frequent collapses and health hazards.
- 🔋 Cobalt is a critical mineral in lithium-ion batteries, making it highly valuable for the technology industry.
- 📱 Cobalt mined by these children ends up in products like smartphones and laptops, powering devices used worldwide.
- 😔 The children face severe hardships, including hunger and potential beatings for mistakes, with one child having gone two days without food.
- 🤝 The Cobalt is sold cheaply to Chinese traders, who often act as intermediaries for larger Chinese companies.
- 🔄 There is a complex supply chain that allows multinational corporations to deny responsibility for the conditions in which the Cobalt is mined.
- 🏥 Exposure to Cobalt can cause long-term health problems, and miners work without gloves or masks, increasing their risk.
- 🏭 An investigation by Amnesty International revealed human rights abuses in the mining industry, but little has changed since then.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the video script?
-The main issue discussed is the exploitation of child labor in unregulated mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where children work under harsh conditions to mine Cobalt, a critical ingredient in lithium-ion batteries.
What are the working conditions like for the children in these mines?
-The children work in wretched conditions, often without shoes, gloves, or masks, and are exposed to hazardous materials like Cobalt dust, which can cause long-term health problems.
How much does a day's work earn these children?
-A 12-hour day of hard work may earn them as little as the equivalent of a pound or eight British Pence.
What is the significance of Cobalt in the context of the script?
-Cobalt is a critical ingredient in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices, making it more precious than gold in the current market.
What is the role of multinational corporations in this scenario?
-Multinational corporations, particularly in America and China, are indirectly benefiting from the cheap Cobalt mined by these children, as it is used in the production of batteries for their products.
How does the script describe the physical work of the child miners?
-The script describes the physical work as punishing, with children climbing down unsecured tunnels, digging by hand, and sorting minerals without any safety equipment.
What are the health risks associated with Cobalt exposure?
-Exposure to Cobalt and breathing in its dust fumes can cause long-term health problems, as stated by the World Health Organization.
How does the script illustrate the urgency and danger faced by the child miners?
-The script illustrates this through the story of Dorsan, who is told he risks a beating if he makes a mistake, and the description of tunnels that frequently collapse, especially during rain.
What is the age range of the children working in the mines according to the script?
-The script mentions children as young as four years old, like Monica, and as old as 12 years, like Natalie, working in the mines.
How is the Cobalt from these mines eventually sold and distributed?
-The Cobalt is sold cheaply to mostly Chinese traders, who then sell it to Chinese parent companies that supply some of the world's biggest battery makers.
What is the implication of the supply chain described in the script?
-The intricate supply chain allows multinational corporations to deny direct involvement in the exploitation of child labor, as they are several steps removed from the actual mining process.
Outlines
😢 Child Labor in the DRC's Unregulated Mines
This paragraph exposes the grim reality of child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) unregulated and unmonitored mines. Children, likened to modern-day slaves, work in harsh and hazardous conditions for up to 12 hours a day, earning as little as a pound for their labor. Despite the DRC's wealth in minerals, its history of exploitation continues with the current rush for Cobalt, a critical component in lithium-ion batteries. The children, some as young as four, work without shoes and in wretched conditions, risking their health and safety. The Cobalt they mine is sold to Chinese traders, who supply some of the world's largest battery manufacturers, ultimately ending up in smartphones and laptops. The multinational corporations profit immensely from this labor, while the children suffer in poverty.
🛍️ The Cobalt Trade: A Supply Chain of Exploitation
The second paragraph delves into the intricacies of the Cobalt trade, highlighting the lack of transparency and accountability in the supply chain. Chinese traders, and some Indian-owned trading markets, purchase Cobalt without questioning its origin or the conditions under which it was mined. The Cobalt is then sold to Chinese parent companies, which supply major battery manufacturers. These batteries, containing Cobalt mined by exploited child laborers, end up in everyday devices like smartphones. An Amnesty International investigation revealed human rights abuses in this industry, but little has changed. The child miners, who may never own a smartphone, continue to work for meager earnings, facing a lifetime of hard labor from a young age.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡DRC
💡Unregulated Mines
💡Child Labor
💡Cobalt
💡Lithium-ion Batteries
💡Multinational Corporations
💡Supply Chain
💡Health Problems
💡Amnesty Investigation
💡Chinese Traders
💡Exploitation
Highlights
Thousands of unregulated and unmonitored mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) exploit children in harsh conditions.
Children in the DRC work 12-hour days for as little as a pound, despite the country's rich mineral resources.
A history of brutal colonial exploitation is being repeated, with much of the mining done by hand using rudimentary tools.
Cobalt, a critical ingredient in lithium iron batteries, is abundant in the DRC and is becoming more precious than gold.
Children as young as four are involved in the mining production, working in wretched conditions without shoes.
The work environment is risky, with frequent collapses of hand-dug tunnels that lack support structures.
Exposure to cobalt and its dust can cause long-term health problems, according to the World Health Organization.
Children work without gloves or masks, risking severe health issues from cobalt exposure.
The cobalt mined by children is sold cheaply to Chinese traders, who are the dominant force in the market.
An intricate supply chain allows multinational corporations to deny involvement in the exploitation of child labor.
An investigation by Amnesty International found human rights abuses in the cobalt mining industry, with little change since.
Most child miners will never own a smartphone, despite their labor contributing to the production of these devices.
The harsh reality of child labor in the DRC contrasts with the multinationals' profits from the sale of cobalt.
The DRC's cobalt mining industry is characterized by a lack of safety equipment and protections for workers.
The report documents the lives of child miners like Dorsan and Richard, who face beatings and hunger.
Monica, the youngest worker at just four years old, represents the tragic loss of childhood due to mining.
Makumba Matba's story illustrates the physical toll of mining, with a large tumor likely caused by unsafe conditions.
Transcripts
this is one of the thousands of
unregulated unmonitored mines in the
DRC it's crawling with children working
like modern-day slaves a 12-hour long
day of punishing work may earn them the
equivalent of a pound although one of
the poorest countries on Earth DRC is
rich in minerals but a history of brutal
Colonial exploitation looks like being
repeated now in 2017
much of it's mined by hand with
rudimentary Tools in harsh potentially
hazardous
conditions and wretched whether or not
the rush is on for a mineral the DRC has
in great abundance Cobalt and it's fast
becoming more precious than gold it's a
critical ingredient in lithium iron
batteries which power smartphones and
laptops and an army of children are at
the heart of the mining production
wearing no shoes and in the most
wretched conditions dorsan is ordered to
retrieve the sack he's
forgotten there's an urgency now the
Reigns make this dangerous work even
more risky and doran's told in no
uncertain terms he risks a beating if he
messes up again dorsan with Richard
beside him have worked all day they're 8
and 11 years
old even this punishing work doesn't
guarantee enough for food dorsan hasn't
eaten for 2 days
now this is what helpless looks like and
he's one of the children making millions
for multinational corporations in
America and China whil they suffer in
squalor for this they'll get maybe eight
British Pence a
[Applause]
day
[Music]
[Applause]
the tunnels are dug by hand with no
supports they frequently collapse
especially during rain the miners climb
down using holes carved in the Rock and
no safety
equipment this most precious of minerals
is often extracted and sorted by tiny
hands they don't wear gloves or masks
yet the World Health Organization says
exposure to Cobalt and breathing in its
dust fumes can cause long-term health
problems we visited five different mines
across the south of DRC and found all
used child workers Monica is the
youngest worker in this group at just
four but even those barely able to walk
have lost their childhoods to
mining Natalie is 12 years old
my fingers hurt she tells
us miles away on a different site
makumba matba shows us the Cobalt tunnel
he's dug with three of his friends it's
physically tough work they removed all
this Rock by hand over nearly four
months it's incredibly um insecure for
them although this is really rich in
minerals and it's going down just 15 M
there's no support bars there's there's
they have no protective masks or
protective equipment at all and right at
the bottom I can see water it's his
Village's water which mumba's convinced
has caused his health problems after a
lifetime of drinking it he has a huge
tumor on his
throat
there are countless reports of other
health problems from those living nearby
and working on the
[Music]
[Music]
mines these twins are just two days old
and although small so far they're
healthy to the relief of their
mother but even if they stay healthy the
twins face a lifetime of hard labor as
soon as they can
walk the children's Cobalt is sold
cheaply to mostly Chinese traders who we
film secretly they don't ask questions
about where their Cobalt comes from or
whose work to extract it they just want
the best price
the even those who aren't Chinese this
trading Market has Indian owners told us
they sell onto the dominant Chinese
exporter of cobalt
CDM the Cobalt first mind here is then
sold again to the Chinese parent company
which then supplies some of the world's
biggest battery makers and those
batteries with ingredients which
originated in DRC end up in for instance
smartphones it's an intricate supply
chain which allows easy deniability for
the multinationals making huge profits
an investigation last year by amnesty
found similar human rights abuses
nothing appears to have
changed most of these child miners will
never own a smartphone they barely
survive from day to day and many other
children like dorsan will be back again
tomorrow digging out one of the most
sought-after minerals of our time for a
pittance Alex Crawford Sky News in the
DRC
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
Mineral Extraction: Crash Course Geography #44
The Dirty Mobile Phone Industry | Investigative Documentary
China Fears India will Soon capture this underwater Mountain | Cobalt Wars | Nikitin Seamount
How the U.S. Is Investing Billions to Compete With China’s Lithium Supply Chain | WSJ U.S. vs. China
Vegetarians, watch this: The Science of Vitamin B12
LMFP Akkus - Hat China den Durchbruch geschafft?
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)