Behind the curtain of Africa, a stirring in the Earth shakes it to the core. This is a place where workers are taken advantage of to such extremes that one has to wonder where the line between slavery and labor begins. In the south Congo, enormous pits have been dug out to be mined for cobalt, the world's new gold. Cobalt is in high demand this century because smartphones and electric vehicles need the lightest metal capable of operating a portable battery. As I write this, mining companies are raiding and abusing the area, as they have been for centuries involving other resources. But this time it isn't the west who is the guilty party, unless you consider the consumers who buy these products. This time it is China, the manufacturers of our precious batteries. The Chinese have taken advantage of a weak, easily bribed government that reaps most of their country's profits, allowing the workers to suffer from little safety regulation and child labor. Often tunnels collapse in these mines, leaving countless children injured or dead. Wages are so low that families have no choice but to send their children to the mines to help gather what little income they can. Most aren't even guaranteed a steady wage, but a piece-rate based on the quality of ore that is mined. You can spend all day toiling in the mines and not get anything for it if your ores do not meet a standard. Some of the mines are heavily guarded by soldiers with guns whose directive is to punish any wrongdoing.
This place is an abomination of greed, reminding us that forces conspiring to slave labor are very much still alive. What's also scary is there is very little public information on these civil rights violations. The companies in charge of these operations use force and intimidation along with tight security to make sure the conditions are not reported on. It took a candid, undercover reporter to uncover what is happening in the South Congo for the rest of the world. His name is Siddharth Kara and his book is called "Cobalt Red: How The Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.
As consumers I'm afraid not much can be done to reduce these violations by boycotting. Bringing public awareness to the situation might inspirr the DRC to a more rigorous human rights campaign. Because it's the DRC government that holds the most power here. Reporters and NGOs can do all they can to inspire activism, but what it boils down to is that a government is allowing this to happen. Smartphones are an enormous part of modern living; we won't be abandoning them any time soon. The same can be said for electric vehicles, which will be essential to slow down climate change if governments are not willing to invest in other alternative sources of fuel for vehicles. It seems that sometimes when we purchase things for a good cause, like protecting the environment, it comes at the expense of workers suffering in places like the DRC. It's a sad state of affairs and totally unnecessary. The mining companies need to treat these people with the dignity they deserve, and the DRC government needs to care about more about its people than money. Blue gold won't last forever. Human dignity will.
This situation underlines the importance of education in modern policymaking. Because the government does not adequately fund education, Congolese children are easily taken advantage of, especially when their families need help. Widespread poverty reinforces itself by lack of education, since children without a strong curriculum are free to work at a younger age. And without labor laws, they are easily scooped up by companies who feel they are better off hiring children who aren't aware that labour standards exist in much of the world; and even if they are aware, the families can afford to keep them in school. Rather than studying for something better, unaddressed poverty pits them into some of the most atrocious mining conditions the world has ever known. Unfortunately their stories are being kept under wraps by authority figures, but with continued adventurous reporting by people like Mr. Kara, more of them can be heard.
Satellite imagery could also help expose what is happening in the area. Yetif it is not in the interest of international governments, this will be ignored as well. Thus the international community does have a small part to play in securing a healthy life for these people.
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