At least 40,000 children are estimated to be working in mines in the Congo as one of the symptoms of extreme poverty and systematic oppression. Friends of the Congo works in partnership with the Basandja Coalition to transition women and children from cobalt and copper mines to other means of making a living.
Child Labor in the Mines
The batteries of our cell phones, laptops, electric cars, and many other devices require a rare mineral called cobalt. This is a very precious mineral, with over 70% of world production originating in the Congo. Extreme poverty means that working in the mines is a necessity for far too many Congolese families.
The children are found in the hundreds between the ages of 6 and 17 years old working in the mines, some working for at least 12 hours a day without protective equipment in deep underground shafts around 10 meters long, which they have dug themselves. Other children work on the surface, also without protective gear, collecting minerals that they find, sifting rocks and mine residue, sorting the minerals and then washing them to prepare them for transport. They are only paid 1 or 2 dollars a day and are exposed to many risks, for example: loss of schooling, fatal mine collapses, injuries caused by accidents, mercury poisoning and illnesses such as lung infections. This Al Jazeera short film looks at the extensive health impacts and birth defects from extracting cobalt.ate’ box on this page.
The Basandja Coalition works to address the immediate issues that lead children into the mines by offering them and their families other income-generating activities.
Should you wish to make a financial contribution to support the Basandja Coalition and their work with women and children in mining communities click the ‘donate’ box on this page.
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Memo: Children