-
Special report : Inside the Congo cobalt mines that exploit children
It is an essential part of most mobile gadgets sold around the world and demand for cobalt is soaring. But the process of extracting the mineral from the earth comes at a huge human cost.
A Sky News investigation has found children as young as four working in dangerous and squalid conditions in Cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for as little as 8p a day. Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford reports.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone htt...
published: 27 Feb 2017
-
"Cobalt Red": Smartphones & Electric Cars Rely on Toxic Mineral Mined in Congo by Children
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world's cobalt, an essential component in rechargeable batteries powering laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. But those who dig up the valuable mineral often work in horrific and dangerous conditions, says Siddharth Kara, an international expert on modern-day slavery and author of _Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives_. In an in-depth interview, he says the major technology companies that rely on this cobalt from DRC to make their products are turning a blind eye to the human toll and falsely claiming their supply chains are free from abuse, including widespread child labor. "The public health catastrophe on top of the human rights violence on top of the environmental destruction is unlike...
published: 13 Jul 2023
-
How Child-Mined Cobalt From The Congo Powers Our Phones
Over 40,000 children are estimated to be working in Congolese cobalt mines. The harsh realities of the cobalt mining industry in the Congo can be traced back through centuries of exploitation of the country. How did we get here?
Author and journalist Siddharth Kara, and others, share their firsthand experiences within this harsh and unforgiving industry. Discover the connection between cobalt mining and the surge in rechargeable battery demand, shedding light on the unintended consequences for the Congolese people.
Get your copy of Siddharth Kara's Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives https://a.co/d/5RJd08D.
Subscribe to PopMech: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoPOPMECH
--------------------------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popularmechanics
Twitter: https...
published: 21 Dec 2023
-
CBS News finds children mining cobalt in Democratic Republic of Congo
A CBS News investigation found that children are mining cobalt, an expensive metal used in batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. Foreign affairs columnist Bobby Ghosh speaks to CBSN about what companies like Apple and Tesla are trying to do to clean up their supply chains.
published: 06 Mar 2018
-
Inside a Congo Orphanage | Dispatches: Congo's Forgotten Children
A carer describes the extraordinary circumstances faced by the children in her care.
Find out more about Dispatches: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide
published: 05 Feb 2009
-
Special report: Revisiting the cobalt-mining boys
Sky News has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to try to find two young boys we met previously, who were working in one of the country's many cobalt mines. A charity has offered to educate and care for them.
More than half the world's supply of cobalt is in the DRC. It's used extensively in smartphones.
Multinational corporations have promised to improve conditions for child miners - but as Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford found out - there's little evidence of that in the former Katanga Province.
View the original report: https://youtu.be/JcJ8me22NVs
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebo...
published: 10 May 2017
-
Children in Democratic Republic of the Congo facing worst cholera outbreak since 2017: UNICEF
UNICEF has warned that a spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is pushing children into a cholera epidemic. This is the worst cholera crisis since 2017.
There have been at least 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera cases and 230 deaths, many of them children, in the first seven months of 2023 across DRC.This is much more than the total of 18,403 suspected cases of cholera in 2022.
The DRC – which shoulders the worst displacement crisis in Africa and among the worst globally – has seen more than 1.5 million people, including over 800,000 children, displaced in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces since January 2023.The displacement camps are generally overcrowded and overstretched, making them ripe for cholera transmission.
The wo...
published: 22 Aug 2023
-
Blood Cobalt: The Congo's Dangerous and Deadly Green Energy Mines | Foreign Correspondent
The world is embracing renewable technologies but how much do we know about the metals that are powering this green revolution?
This story exposes the shocking truth about the mining of cobalt, a metal crucial to making the batteries in electric cars, laptops and mobile phones.
The world’s richest deposits of cobalt are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries on earth. It produces around 70% of world output.
This buried treasure has lured hundreds of thousands of Congolese to work in the country’s mines, big and small.
But mining is dangerous, corruption and violence is rife and though child labour has been banned, it’s common.
In recent years, the cobalt trade has been taken over by Chinese companies which operate or finance 15 of the 19 big industrial m...
published: 24 Feb 2022
-
Cobalt mining for phones: How you could be holding a product of child labour
The Chinese mining company Hauyou has refused to apologise after Sky News found that it was sourcing cobalt mined by children as young as four. We've also discovered that Apple has told Huayou to suspend all sourcing from mines until they can be checked to be free of child labour. Here's our Technology correspondent Tom Cheshire.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/app...
published: 28 Feb 2017
-
Conflict Minerals, Rebels and Child Soldiers in Congo with Suroosh Alvi
Warlords, soldiers, and child laborers all toil over a mineral you've never even heard of. Coltan is a conflict mineral in nearly every cell phone, laptop, and electronic device. It's also tied to the deaths of over 5 million people in Congo since 1990.
Hosted by Alison Suroosh Alvi | Originally released in 2011 at http://vice.com
Click here to help: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/
Watch more VICE documentaries here: http://bit.ly/VICE-Presents
Subscribe for videos that are actually good: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
Check out our full video catalog: http://www.youtube.com/user/vice/videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
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Read our tumblr: http://vicemag.tumblr.com
published: 22 May 2012
6:17
Special report : Inside the Congo cobalt mines that exploit children
It is an essential part of most mobile gadgets sold around the world and demand for cobalt is soaring. But the process of extracting the mineral from the earth ...
It is an essential part of most mobile gadgets sold around the world and demand for cobalt is soaring. But the process of extracting the mineral from the earth comes at a huge human cost.
A Sky News investigation has found children as young as four working in dangerous and squalid conditions in Cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for as little as 8p a day. Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford reports.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB
https://wn.com/Special_Report_Inside_The_Congo_Cobalt_Mines_That_Exploit_Children
It is an essential part of most mobile gadgets sold around the world and demand for cobalt is soaring. But the process of extracting the mineral from the earth comes at a huge human cost.
A Sky News investigation has found children as young as four working in dangerous and squalid conditions in Cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for as little as 8p a day. Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford reports.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB
- published: 27 Feb 2017
- views: 921900
26:27
"Cobalt Red": Smartphones & Electric Cars Rely on Toxic Mineral Mined in Congo by Children
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world's cobalt, an essential component in rechargeable batteries powering laptops, sm...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world's cobalt, an essential component in rechargeable batteries powering laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. But those who dig up the valuable mineral often work in horrific and dangerous conditions, says Siddharth Kara, an international expert on modern-day slavery and author of _Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives_. In an in-depth interview, he says the major technology companies that rely on this cobalt from DRC to make their products are turning a blind eye to the human toll and falsely claiming their supply chains are free from abuse, including widespread child labor. "The public health catastrophe on top of the human rights violence on top of the environmental destruction is unlike anything we've ever seen in the modern context," says Kara. "The fact that it is linked to companies worth trillions and that our lives depend on this enormous violence has to be dealt with."
Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/13/cobalt_red_kara
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Support independent media: https://democracynow.org/donate
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
https://wn.com/Cobalt_Red_Smartphones_Electric_Cars_Rely_On_Toxic_Mineral_Mined_In_Congo_By_Children
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world's cobalt, an essential component in rechargeable batteries powering laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. But those who dig up the valuable mineral often work in horrific and dangerous conditions, says Siddharth Kara, an international expert on modern-day slavery and author of _Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives_. In an in-depth interview, he says the major technology companies that rely on this cobalt from DRC to make their products are turning a blind eye to the human toll and falsely claiming their supply chains are free from abuse, including widespread child labor. "The public health catastrophe on top of the human rights violence on top of the environmental destruction is unlike anything we've ever seen in the modern context," says Kara. "The fact that it is linked to companies worth trillions and that our lives depend on this enormous violence has to be dealt with."
Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/13/cobalt_red_kara
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8-9 a.m. ET.
Support independent media: https://democracynow.org/donate
Subscribe to our Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
- published: 13 Jul 2023
- views: 649169
13:23
How Child-Mined Cobalt From The Congo Powers Our Phones
Over 40,000 children are estimated to be working in Congolese cobalt mines. The harsh realities of the cobalt mining industry in the Congo can be traced back th...
Over 40,000 children are estimated to be working in Congolese cobalt mines. The harsh realities of the cobalt mining industry in the Congo can be traced back through centuries of exploitation of the country. How did we get here?
Author and journalist Siddharth Kara, and others, share their firsthand experiences within this harsh and unforgiving industry. Discover the connection between cobalt mining and the surge in rechargeable battery demand, shedding light on the unintended consequences for the Congolese people.
Get your copy of Siddharth Kara's Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives https://a.co/d/5RJd08D.
Subscribe to PopMech: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoPOPMECH
--------------------------------------
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopMech
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Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@popularmechanics?lang=en
https://wn.com/How_Child_Mined_Cobalt_From_The_Congo_Powers_Our_Phones
Over 40,000 children are estimated to be working in Congolese cobalt mines. The harsh realities of the cobalt mining industry in the Congo can be traced back through centuries of exploitation of the country. How did we get here?
Author and journalist Siddharth Kara, and others, share their firsthand experiences within this harsh and unforgiving industry. Discover the connection between cobalt mining and the surge in rechargeable battery demand, shedding light on the unintended consequences for the Congolese people.
Get your copy of Siddharth Kara's Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives https://a.co/d/5RJd08D.
Subscribe to PopMech: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoPOPMECH
--------------------------------------
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popularmechanics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PopMech
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/popularmechanics/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/popmech/?auto_follow=1
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@popularmechanics?lang=en
- published: 21 Dec 2023
- views: 11398
9:22
CBS News finds children mining cobalt in Democratic Republic of Congo
A CBS News investigation found that children are mining cobalt, an expensive metal used in batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. Foreign affairs c...
A CBS News investigation found that children are mining cobalt, an expensive metal used in batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. Foreign affairs columnist Bobby Ghosh speaks to CBSN about what companies like Apple and Tesla are trying to do to clean up their supply chains.
https://wn.com/Cbs_News_Finds_Children_Mining_Cobalt_In_Democratic_Republic_Of_Congo
A CBS News investigation found that children are mining cobalt, an expensive metal used in batteries that power smartphones and electric cars. Foreign affairs columnist Bobby Ghosh speaks to CBSN about what companies like Apple and Tesla are trying to do to clean up their supply chains.
- published: 06 Mar 2018
- views: 89186
1:58
Inside a Congo Orphanage | Dispatches: Congo's Forgotten Children
A carer describes the extraordinary circumstances faced by the children in her care.
Find out more about Dispatches: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatc...
A carer describes the extraordinary circumstances faced by the children in her care.
Find out more about Dispatches: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide
https://wn.com/Inside_A_Congo_Orphanage_|_Dispatches_Congo's_Forgotten_Children
A carer describes the extraordinary circumstances faced by the children in her care.
Find out more about Dispatches: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide
- published: 05 Feb 2009
- views: 445061
7:58
Special report: Revisiting the cobalt-mining boys
Sky News has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to try to find two young boys we met previously, who were working in one of the country's many cob...
Sky News has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to try to find two young boys we met previously, who were working in one of the country's many cobalt mines. A charity has offered to educate and care for them.
More than half the world's supply of cobalt is in the DRC. It's used extensively in smartphones.
Multinational corporations have promised to improve conditions for child miners - but as Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford found out - there's little evidence of that in the former Katanga Province.
View the original report: https://youtu.be/JcJ8me22NVs
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB
https://wn.com/Special_Report_Revisiting_The_Cobalt_Mining_Boys
Sky News has returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to try to find two young boys we met previously, who were working in one of the country's many cobalt mines. A charity has offered to educate and care for them.
More than half the world's supply of cobalt is in the DRC. It's used extensively in smartphones.
Multinational corporations have promised to improve conditions for child miners - but as Sky's special correspondent Alex Crawford found out - there's little evidence of that in the former Katanga Province.
View the original report: https://youtu.be/JcJ8me22NVs
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB
- published: 10 May 2017
- views: 108867
2:47
Children in Democratic Republic of the Congo facing worst cholera outbreak since 2017: UNICEF
UNICEF has warned that a spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is pushing children into a cholera epidemic. T...
UNICEF has warned that a spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is pushing children into a cholera epidemic. This is the worst cholera crisis since 2017.
There have been at least 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera cases and 230 deaths, many of them children, in the first seven months of 2023 across DRC.This is much more than the total of 18,403 suspected cases of cholera in 2022.
The DRC – which shoulders the worst displacement crisis in Africa and among the worst globally – has seen more than 1.5 million people, including over 800,000 children, displaced in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces since January 2023.The displacement camps are generally overcrowded and overstretched, making them ripe for cholera transmission.
The worst-affected province, North Kivu, has seen more than 21,400 confirmed or suspected cholera cases, including more than 8,000 children under five years of age in 2023, according to the ministry of public health, DRC. In all of 2022, the province had recorded 5,120 cases, with 1,200 for children under five years.
Investigations by the ministry of public health in households with cholera cases in North Kivu’s four biggest hotspots found that 62.99% of cholera-affected households were families that had been displaced this year.
On December 14, 2022, a cholera epidemic was officially declared by the governor of the province of North Kivu. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON441
In 2017, cholera spread across Congo, including the capital, Kinshasa, leading to almost 55,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths.
Currently, to combat this emergency, UNICEF has called for $62.5 million to enhance its prevention and response activities to cholera and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) crisis for the next five months. It seeks to reach 1.8 million people, including 1 million children. Only 9% of the funds have been raised.
https://wn.com/Children_In_Democratic_Republic_Of_The_Congo_Facing_Worst_Cholera_Outbreak_Since_2017_Unicef
UNICEF has warned that a spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is pushing children into a cholera epidemic. This is the worst cholera crisis since 2017.
There have been at least 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera cases and 230 deaths, many of them children, in the first seven months of 2023 across DRC.This is much more than the total of 18,403 suspected cases of cholera in 2022.
The DRC – which shoulders the worst displacement crisis in Africa and among the worst globally – has seen more than 1.5 million people, including over 800,000 children, displaced in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces since January 2023.The displacement camps are generally overcrowded and overstretched, making them ripe for cholera transmission.
The worst-affected province, North Kivu, has seen more than 21,400 confirmed or suspected cholera cases, including more than 8,000 children under five years of age in 2023, according to the ministry of public health, DRC. In all of 2022, the province had recorded 5,120 cases, with 1,200 for children under five years.
Investigations by the ministry of public health in households with cholera cases in North Kivu’s four biggest hotspots found that 62.99% of cholera-affected households were families that had been displaced this year.
On December 14, 2022, a cholera epidemic was officially declared by the governor of the province of North Kivu. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON441
In 2017, cholera spread across Congo, including the capital, Kinshasa, leading to almost 55,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths.
Currently, to combat this emergency, UNICEF has called for $62.5 million to enhance its prevention and response activities to cholera and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) crisis for the next five months. It seeks to reach 1.8 million people, including 1 million children. Only 9% of the funds have been raised.
- published: 22 Aug 2023
- views: 2311
33:17
Blood Cobalt: The Congo's Dangerous and Deadly Green Energy Mines | Foreign Correspondent
The world is embracing renewable technologies but how much do we know about the metals that are powering this green revolution?
This story exposes the shocking...
The world is embracing renewable technologies but how much do we know about the metals that are powering this green revolution?
This story exposes the shocking truth about the mining of cobalt, a metal crucial to making the batteries in electric cars, laptops and mobile phones.
The world’s richest deposits of cobalt are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries on earth. It produces around 70% of world output.
This buried treasure has lured hundreds of thousands of Congolese to work in the country’s mines, big and small.
But mining is dangerous, corruption and violence is rife and though child labour has been banned, it’s common.
In recent years, the cobalt trade has been taken over by Chinese companies which operate or finance 15 of the 19 big industrial mines. Locals say that under their management, low safety standards have dropped even further.
“Unfortunately people even are dying for lack of safety,” says an employee of one big company.
Australian reporter Michael Davie travels to this mineral-rich country to investigate the industry – from the major Chinese-owned companies to the conditions of the small-scale workers on the fringes of the big mines.
It’s a dangerous mission and Davie is followed, harassed and arrested by mine and government security officials.
What he uncovers is shocking.
The day he arrives there’s been a mine cave-in, killing at least six miners.
He sees miners tunnel 25 metres underground with no safety equipment.
He meets primary school-age children handling cobalt, a toxic metal which can cause serious health effects.
He meets a mother whose 13-year-old son has just been killed on the fringes of a mine whose embankment collapsed. Companies in the Congo are obliged to make sure they don't harm the communities around them.
He secures a video which shows a man being beaten by a Congolese soldier as mine managers watch on, laughing.
And he interviews a whistleblower who accuses the Chinese mine he works for of covering up the deaths of co-workers. He also says the country isn’t benefitting from the boom.
“There is no investment coming back in terms of environment, infrastructure…We don't have road facilities, we don't have communication. There is nothing.”
But there’s hope amidst the gloom. Davie meets the Good Shepherd Sisters, nuns who’ve set up a school near the mines and educated thousands of children.
“If the children are given education, if schools are spread all over and every child goes to school, then we are redeeming this country,” says one nun.
This is a rare insight into a powerful industry which operates a dangerous business with seeming impunity. All of us use the end products.
About Foreign Correspondent:
Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.
Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC’s Online Terms of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3). This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel
https://wn.com/Blood_Cobalt_The_Congo's_Dangerous_And_Deadly_Green_Energy_Mines_|_Foreign_Correspondent
The world is embracing renewable technologies but how much do we know about the metals that are powering this green revolution?
This story exposes the shocking truth about the mining of cobalt, a metal crucial to making the batteries in electric cars, laptops and mobile phones.
The world’s richest deposits of cobalt are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the poorest countries on earth. It produces around 70% of world output.
This buried treasure has lured hundreds of thousands of Congolese to work in the country’s mines, big and small.
But mining is dangerous, corruption and violence is rife and though child labour has been banned, it’s common.
In recent years, the cobalt trade has been taken over by Chinese companies which operate or finance 15 of the 19 big industrial mines. Locals say that under their management, low safety standards have dropped even further.
“Unfortunately people even are dying for lack of safety,” says an employee of one big company.
Australian reporter Michael Davie travels to this mineral-rich country to investigate the industry – from the major Chinese-owned companies to the conditions of the small-scale workers on the fringes of the big mines.
It’s a dangerous mission and Davie is followed, harassed and arrested by mine and government security officials.
What he uncovers is shocking.
The day he arrives there’s been a mine cave-in, killing at least six miners.
He sees miners tunnel 25 metres underground with no safety equipment.
He meets primary school-age children handling cobalt, a toxic metal which can cause serious health effects.
He meets a mother whose 13-year-old son has just been killed on the fringes of a mine whose embankment collapsed. Companies in the Congo are obliged to make sure they don't harm the communities around them.
He secures a video which shows a man being beaten by a Congolese soldier as mine managers watch on, laughing.
And he interviews a whistleblower who accuses the Chinese mine he works for of covering up the deaths of co-workers. He also says the country isn’t benefitting from the boom.
“There is no investment coming back in terms of environment, infrastructure…We don't have road facilities, we don't have communication. There is nothing.”
But there’s hope amidst the gloom. Davie meets the Good Shepherd Sisters, nuns who’ve set up a school near the mines and educated thousands of children.
“If the children are given education, if schools are spread all over and every child goes to school, then we are redeeming this country,” says one nun.
This is a rare insight into a powerful industry which operates a dangerous business with seeming impunity. All of us use the end products.
About Foreign Correspondent:
Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.
Contributions may be removed if they violate ABC’s Online Terms of Use http://www.abc.net.au/conditions.htm (Section 3). This is an official Australian Broadcasting Corporation YouTube channel
- published: 24 Feb 2022
- views: 1191079
3:49
Cobalt mining for phones: How you could be holding a product of child labour
The Chinese mining company Hauyou has refused to apologise after Sky News found that it was sourcing cobalt mined by children as young as four. We've also disco...
The Chinese mining company Hauyou has refused to apologise after Sky News found that it was sourcing cobalt mined by children as young as four. We've also discovered that Apple has told Huayou to suspend all sourcing from mines until they can be checked to be free of child labour. Here's our Technology correspondent Tom Cheshire.
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews and https://twitter.com/skynewsbreak
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews
For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps:
iPad https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/Sky-News-for-iPad/id422583124
iPhone https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8
Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB
https://wn.com/Cobalt_Mining_For_Phones_How_You_Could_Be_Holding_A_Product_Of_Child_Labour
The Chinese mining company Hauyou has refused to apologise after Sky News found that it was sourcing cobalt mined by children as young as four. We've also discovered that Apple has told Huayou to suspend all sourcing from mines until they can be checked to be free of child labour. Here's our Technology correspondent Tom Cheshire.
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- published: 28 Feb 2017
- views: 86375
38:02
Conflict Minerals, Rebels and Child Soldiers in Congo with Suroosh Alvi
Warlords, soldiers, and child laborers all toil over a mineral you've never even heard of. Coltan is a conflict mineral in nearly every cell phone, laptop, and ...
Warlords, soldiers, and child laborers all toil over a mineral you've never even heard of. Coltan is a conflict mineral in nearly every cell phone, laptop, and electronic device. It's also tied to the deaths of over 5 million people in Congo since 1990.
Hosted by Alison Suroosh Alvi | Originally released in 2011 at http://vice.com
Click here to help: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/
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https://wn.com/Conflict_Minerals,_Rebels_And_Child_Soldiers_In_Congo_With_Suroosh_Alvi
Warlords, soldiers, and child laborers all toil over a mineral you've never even heard of. Coltan is a conflict mineral in nearly every cell phone, laptop, and electronic device. It's also tied to the deaths of over 5 million people in Congo since 1990.
Hosted by Alison Suroosh Alvi | Originally released in 2011 at http://vice.com
Click here to help: http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/
Watch more VICE documentaries here: http://bit.ly/VICE-Presents
Subscribe for videos that are actually good: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE
Check out our full video catalog: http://www.youtube.com/user/vice/videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice
Read our tumblr: http://vicemag.tumblr.com
- published: 22 May 2012
- views: 5158179