Of the 2.7 billion smartphones and 7.6 billion cars out there, all of them use batteries. Did you know that there is cobalt in your computer, phone, car, fridge, and virtually everything that uses a battery? The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produces over 50% of the world's cobalt. Shockingly, 20% of this cobalt is mined by children's hands and shovels. UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) estimates that 40,000 children work in DRC mines in dreadful conditions. Children should not be working in cobalt mines. Unless suppliers take measures to comply with international standards, this dangerous cycle will continue to reinforce itself.  

Tech and vehicle companies are still not doing anything to prevent human rights violations from entering their supply chains. In DRC, human rights abuses are directly linked to the sourcing of this industrial element.  Amnesty International reached out to tech companies, most failing to respond to the most straightforward questions and ¨lacking in transparency¨ when it came to their suppliers. The investigation discovered that Huayou Cobalt, a Chinese supplying company, has been associated with the cobalt market. Despite inquiries, they have not taken any meaningful actions to comply with international standards. What does this mean? It means that companies like Sony, Huawei, Microsoft, Volkswagen, General Motors, Samsung, and more, have taken little to no action to source their cobalt responsibly. Profiting off of children already living below the poverty line is wrong. Cobalt must be sourced in other, more ethical ways.

Children in cobalt mines are exposed to health hazards daily due to a serious lack of health precautions. When Amnesty International investigated the living conditions in the DRC cobalt mines, an alarming pattern kept repeating itself: ¨...men, women, and children were working without even the most basic protective equipment such as gloves and face masks¨. Children are forced to work 12 hours a day in terrible conditions! The UDHR article #24 states that every individual has the ¨Right to rest and leisure¨.  Their rights to rest and leisure are neglected. Kids should not be working 84 hour weeks! UDHR article #22 states that every individual has a right to ¨Social Security¨, however the environment surrounding the mines is packed with child traffickers and armed rebel groups. It is unsafe for children to be in a situation where lethal chemicals and conflict jeopardize their health and safety. 

Like tens of thousands of children, poverty and financial struggles forced 11-year-old Ziki Swaze into working in the mines. His parents passed away, and he and his three siblings lived with his grandma. He was the family's breadwinner, bringing around two dollars home daily to sustain the family. Ziki dreamt of going to school, but he couldn't. When the international community heard of his tribulations, the Good Shepherd started a fund. Now, Ziki and his three siblings are in school. The poverty cycle in DRC is dire, and the cobalt industry is taking advantage of it big time.  His story is touching, but it demonstrates the gravity of the situation. 73% of the Congolese population ¨...lives on less than 1.9 dollars daily¨, according to the World Bank. Tens of thousands of children endure these inhumane conditions every single day and cannot escape! There needs to be a significant change for all the other children stuck in the cycle. 

It is ethically, morally, and legally wrong to have children working back-breaking jobs before they are even old enough to vote! None of these kids receive fundamental education, and they most definitely aren't taught any technical skills. Instead, they're given a shovel and put to work. The DRC government needs to end this cycle, they need to take measures such as proper integration back into the school systems and give children the tools to succeed. If that does not happen, the cycle will repeat itself once again.