Human rights abuses in DRC cast shadow over trade in mineral used in batteries. Reports on cobalt mining in the DRC illustrate unethical practices taking place. A growing number of unmonitored “artisanal” mines crawl with barefoot children filtering the cobalt with their hands, in harsh and dangerous conditions. A report published by Amnesty International in 2016, This is What We Die For, highlighted the number of major corporations – including Apple, Tesla, Samsung and other tech and automotive companies – that have failed to ensure that their cobalt supply chain does not involve child labour. It said about 20 per cent of the DRC’s cobalt production is mined by hand in unregulated mines, often with child labour and in dangerous conditions.
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