Human Rights Violations On The Rise In Democratic Republic Of Congo
Newsy
More than 70% of the world's cobalt is produced in the DRC. A mining law prohibiting children from engaging in artisanal mining is not being enforced.
A desperate search for survival – women and children as young as nine years old spend hours each day digging at a cobalt mine in Kolwezi City in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They're paid as little as a dollar per day.
Cobalt is used for making rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for smartphones and laptops. It's also a key component used for powering electric vehicles.
"The demand for cobalt is growing actually ... because of the demand for electric vehicles and the fact that the world is shifting from an economy that is based on fossil fuels, you know – everything related to oil and coal – to green energy," DRC mining consultant Arthur Katalayi said.
