Your electronics purchases could be impacting people in the DRC
Learn how your electronics purchases could be impacting people in the DRC
We wanted to share with you a bit about cobalt mining in the DR Congo, the abysmal “modern-day slavery” conditions that exist in these mines, and what we can all do to help. Like with most things in the DRC, the history goes way back, and there are full books devoted to the cobalt crisis.
The Who, What, When, Where, and Why of the Cobalt Crisis
Who: This problem reaches nearly every corner of the globe because cobalt is used in nearly every rechargeable lithium-ion battery, including the one in your smartphone, in electric cars, and every other electronic you can plug in and recharge.
But the people who are being victimized by this crisis are the women, men, and children of the DR Congo. Even though cobalt is toxic to touch and breathe in, “artisanal miners” who work for just a few dollars a day are immersed in the substance, mining it by hand in subhuman conditions.
Other prominent players in this crisis are the tech companies, who aren’t held accountable for getting their cobalt from the approved channels and increasingly drive up the demand for more and more cobalt.
And then, of course, there are industrial cobalt mines in the DRC that provide the legal and approved channels for mining cobalt. However, the supply chain is inextricably mixed with the illegal cobalt from the artisanal mines. Not only that, but rebel groups from outside the Congo fight to control the mines and the supply chain to maintain control of the wealth created by cobalt and other “conflict minerals.”
What: Because the DRC has long been ravaged by war, instability, exploitation of its natural resources, and lack of education, many poor people in the DRC make a daily decision to work in the mines in order to eat and be able to feed their children. Despite artisanal mining being illegal, the practice carries on, with millions of people feeling like their only chance of survival is to mine cobalt for a few dollars a day to buy food.
The mines are incredibly dangerous, and children are often buried alive, people lose limbs, and they’re inhaling and touching toxic chemicals doing back-breaking work. Siddharth Kara, a fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health has been researching the topic and explains,
“You have to imagine walking around some of these mining areas and dialing back our clock centuries. People are working in subhuman, grinding, degrading conditions. They use pickaxes, shovels, stretches of rebar to hack and scrounge at the earth in trenches and pits and tunnels to gather cobalt and feed it up the formal supply chain.”
When: Cobalt was first discovered in the Congo in 1914, and the mines have only grown since then. More than ⅔ of the world’s cobalt supply currently comes from the DRC. Keep in mind that cobalt is used in all lithium-ion batteries used in so many electronics most of us take for granted day in and day out. The cobalt mining industry has grown 20% year over year in the DRC since 1995.
Where: Most of the cobalt mining in the DRC happens in the south and eastern parts of the country, where there are thousands of artisanal mines. However, children are trafficked from all over the country to work in the mines as well. (can we add a map showing the area?)
Why: Again, there are many layers to this problem that make it hard to solve, but here are some of the top reasons why this cobalt crisis persists.
Poverty: The high level of poverty in the DRC leaves people vulnerable to exploitation. Many people know nothing other than growing up in the mines, first strapped to their mother’s backs and working in the mines as children instead of getting the opportunity to go to school. They’re often making a daily choice to work in the mines in order to eat or starve to death.
Demand: The global demand for cobalt grows with each year. The push towards electric vehicles and seemingly more sustainable energy solutions compounds the problem, along with general consumerism that keeps our demands for the newest, latest electronics high.
Corruption in the Supply Chain: Even when human rights advocates attempt to hold tech companies responsible, it’s very challenging to force them to be accountable because they have no connection to the labor force in the supply chain.
How Is Africa New Day Helping—And How You Can Help
There are two main ways you can support the people of the DRC with this crisis.
Give: Africa New Day is already on the ground with over 150 small businesses and almost 200 Congolese employees seeking to transform the Congo from within using sustainable, long-term solutions. Our programs address the poverty and lack of education faced by the Congolese.
For example, our Generation Hope program provides basic necessities, education and support for street children and other children who aren’t in school. Children can come to the UJN Center to gain literacy, vocational skills, and community and mental health support, which begins to break the cycle of poverty that keeps people in the mines.
We also focus on advocacy, supporting policy that improves child labor laws, as well as policies between the DR Congo and other nations regarding mining and the use of the land.
When you give to Africa New Day, you’re impacting the lives of the Congolese in a measurable way through programs that are already making a big difference.
Be an Advocate Here in Your Own Circle: Continue to educate yourself and others about cobalt use and conflict mining in the DRC.
We mentioned an author earlier, Siddharth Kara, who wrote a book that would be an incredible place to start. It’s called “Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.”
You can also find out more through interviews with Siddharth on these podcasts:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZBdeZLitzqNPBbvv9QIEz
More here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4iA0Y3EVgmrxU5617ttBba
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6waZCgTW5kJUG0yaLeTBPO
At a very grassroots level, you can simply start by consuming fewer electronics. Buy used or refurbished electronics when you can, or consider skipping that next iPhone release. Electronics are inextricably a part of our lives, and bigger policy changes must be made. But in the meantime, you can decrease your own personal demand.
We know this is a heavy topic and not fun to talk about. But spreading the word is essential, and it makes a difference. And that’s why we wanted to chat with you about it today.
#alleyesoncongo #alleyesonkongo
Image Source: Artisanal miners working in the Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo (Credit: Afrewatch, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)