BATH, U.K. — Interred within the rich soil of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) lies an abundance of electric blue treasure called cobalt, a rare mineral that bountifully bedazzles the DRC’s lithosphere. More than 50% of all cobalt is buried in Congolese earth, with more than 70% of the global cobalt supply emanating from the nation. Cobalt fuels lithium batteries, which power phones, laptops and electric cars across the globe. The rapid rise of the electric car may multiply the demand for cobalt by as much as twenty-fold come 2050. But, what Tesla drivers and iPhone tappers may not realize is that cobalt slavery powers the industry. The Good Shepherd International Foundation aims to address cobalt slavery in the DRC.
Cobalt Slavery in the DRC
Safety standards atop the supply chain dictate that Congolese miners should have proper protective gear as cobalt is toxic to the skin and respiratory system. There should also be no artisanal miners as transnational companies demand an industrial approach. However, despite regulations, there is little to no enforcement. Cobalt slavery in the DRC is a grim, unchecked reality.
Siddharth Kara is a human trafficking and modern slavery expert who visited the DRC in 2021. Kara says, at the Shabara mine, some 15,000 artisanal miners work in “sub-human conditions.” In a 2023 interview with Joe Rogan, Kara said, “the local population has been displaced, under duress and they dig in absolutely sub-human, gut-wrenching conditions for a dollar a day… with no safety equipment… with no masks, no gloves.” Kara even observed that flip-flops seemed to be standard-issue among the miners, who dig with hammers and mallets, if not their hands.
Kara also observed thousands of children rummaging in the filth. Kara states that all industrial mining facilities in the DRC have “scenes similar” to that of Shabala, meaning child labor and slavery is commonplace in the DRC.
Ethical cobalt facilities in developed nations produce a tiny fraction of the global demand. The pittance of clean cobalt in circulation mingles with the products of cobalt slavery in refineries across the globe. Therefore, there is no phone, laptop, electric car or rechargeable battery untarnished by cobalt slavery in the DRC. As Kara states, “clean cobalt is a fiction.”
The Good Shepherd International Foundation
The Good Shepherd International Foundation (GSIF) estimates that 40,000 children work in the cobalt mines of Congo. This NGO works directly with mining communities in the DCR to eliminate adolescent cobalt slavery, the exploitation of children and the “widespread human rights abuses” associated with the industry. Over the last 10 years, the GSIF, “through a holistic model of intervention integrating education, alternative livelihoods and social protection,” reached “more than 20,000 people in 8 artisanal mining communities,” its website says. The GSIF runs several initiatives in this regard:
- Strengthened Communities. The GSIF organizes workshops for more than 10,000 Katangan community members. These meetings raise awareness of the “mining code, human rights, government and citizens’ responsibilities, community development, advocacy, conflict management and resolution,” the GSIF website notes. Educating impoverished miners on the importance of advocacy is critically important. Mobilization equips slaves with the means to lobby the government and push for reform. Over the last 10 years, these lobbying efforts have led to the provision of electricity to 5,000 homes and clean water to 3,000 people. Advocacy has also led to the construction of five new state schools in different mining communities throughout the Katanga region.
- Education. The GSIF has registered more than 4,800 child miners with schools. Since the education program began, 72% of the enrolled children have ceased mining. The program also assisted in returning 520 children to the national schooling system. The foundation provides the services of teachers, psychologists and nurses to supplement the well-being of every child. This educational support provides children with the means to escape the cycle of poverty.
- The Bon Pasteur Centre. The GSIF finished the construction of the Bon Pasteur Centre in September 2019. This center assists impoverished Congolese people with the “prosecution of cases of corporal punishment, neglect, sexual abuse and early arranged and forced marriage.” The center aims to protect the human rights of children and women by employing “home visits, education on child protection and positive parenting, counseling and psycho-social support,” the GSIF website says.
- Economic Empowerment Project. The GSIF also bastions an economic empowerment project, assisting women and girls who fall foul of mining-related exploitation. The program has provided education, health care and skills development training to 600 girls and 500 women over the last four years. The project also provides vocational support for “tailoring, catering, baking and literacy” and regular classes on “gender equity, reproductive health, women’s rights [as well as]hygiene and sanitation” in mining communities all over Katanga. More than 900 women have received training to gain decent employment and 200 females have acquired economic independence through income-generating endeavors. The program has been so successful that “60% of girls no longer work in the mines.”
- Alternative Livelihood Project. GSIF’s alternative livelihood project teaches animal husbandry and agriculture techniques as an alternative to mining in order to provide food security and income to impoverished mining communities. More than 1,000 former artisanal miners now derive an income from farming due to the alternative livelihood project. As of 2021, two-thirds of the families involved in this program are now self-sufficient.
- Mobile Clinic. The GSIF also operates a mobile clinic, providing “on-site pediatric, obstetrics and gynecology” medical services for child and women artisanal miners. A 4×4 vehicle carries medical staff to remote locations where impoverished mining communities would not otherwise be able to receive such services.
Ending Cobalt Slavery in the DRC
The Good Shepherd International Foundation’s plethora of community-based operations have already made gigantic strides to diminish cobalt slavery in the DRC, particularly among women and children. If funding for this NGO continues to increase, the cobalt industry could eventually be free of slavery. Poverty is the most significant root cause of slavery. Without poverty, employers must pay competitive wages and provide suitable worker rights to entice potential employees. If the Congolese population continues its arduous ascent from the chasm of poverty, the world may yet hold a phone that has not seen the hands of a slave.
– David Smith
Photo: Wikipedia Commons