The rising demand for consumer electronics like smartphones, laptops, and other digital gadgets has caused the price for cobalt – a key element in modern technology – to soar in recent years.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which power these devices, require cobalt as a main ingredient in their manufacture. But a dark and startling reality exists beyond the screens of our gadgets.
Professor Sidharth Kara, a researcher and author of the book “Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives” has recently uncovered and released evidence of widespread human rights violations and modern-day slavery in the cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where over two-thirds of the world’s cobalt originates.
The DRC is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden countries in the world, and it is here where cobalt miners, including children as young as seven, work in inhumane conditions, subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and are paid as little as $2 per day.
Disturbing photos and videos have been released showing workers, including children, laboring for long hours underground in poorly ventilated mines, with no access to basic health and safety equipment.
The workers, many of whom are forced into the mines through debt bondage, suffer from serious health problems, including respiratory issues and other severe illnesses, as a result of prolonged exposure to cobalt dust and other toxic chemicals.
Additionally, evidence of pervasive corruption, with local authorities and mining firms covering up the mistreatment of these people.
Cobalt from the DRC’s mines is frequently sold to middlemen who then resell it to big electronics manufacturers like Apple, Tesla, Samsung, and Microsoft, many of whom claim to have strict supply chain regulations in place to stop such abuse.
Whistleblowers and journalists have discovered that these regulations are frequently not faithfully upheld, which allows rampant mistreatment and exploitation of cobalt miners.
The release of these photos and videos has sparked outrage and demands for immediate action. Consumers and NGOs are now demanding that tech companies take responsibility for their supply chains and ensure that the cobalt used in their products is ethically sourced.
Many companies have pledged to take action and improve their supply chain transparency, but it remains to be seen whether they will keep their promise.
Have you ever seen footage like this?