The International Labor Organization has urged a stepped up effort to eradicate child labor within eight years. Half of the world's 28 largest companies have been accused of using cobalt metal that was mined by children.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
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One in every 10 children across the world are victims of child labor, and almost half of them are performing dangerous work, Director-General of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Guy Ryder warned on Tuesday.
Ryder acknowledged that the number of child workers had fallen by 100 million since the late 1990s, as he spoke at the opening of a global conference on the issue in Buenos Aires. But he lamented that the rate of change has slowed markedly recently.
"We can't predict how labor markets will change in the future, but we do know one thing: We want no more child labor and no more modern slavery," Ryder told delegates in the Argentinian capital.
In its report, Time to Recharge, the human rights group named Microsoft, Renault and China's Huawei among others as beneficiaries of child labor.
In the developing world, children are still often put to work in hazardous conditionsImage: picture alliance/ZUMA Press/M. Hasan
Amnesty said children as young as seven were risking their lives and their health to meet the demand for cobalt, due to the growth of battery use in electric cars, smartphones and renewable energy.
The rights group said none of the 29 companies investigated adequately complied with their due diligence obligations to disclose and suppress human rights violations.
The German car industry is also guilty, according to its report. While BMW has "improved in some aspects" and scored the best among the automakers, the luxury brand continued to show "significant shortcomings." Volkswagen and Daimler also had "significant deficiencies," Amnesty said.
The DRC's 'resources curse'
Cobalt and coltan are abundant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But, paired with regional instability, the minerals attract militia, exploitation and violence.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
Rich resources and violent opportunists
In the unstable eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, treasures like gold and tin attract opportunistic militia. The violent groups exploit people, including children, to mine for "conflict minerals." With the revenue they buy weapons to conquer more territories and perpetuate the fighting.
Image: picture alliance / Jürgen Bätz/dpa
Protecting citizens and legal mining operations
MONUSCO, the UN's biggest and most expensive peace-keeping mission, is working to stabilize the provinces of North and South Kivu, which lie at the center of the country's violence. Security forces patrol mining villages like Nzibira, which sits at the edge of Zola Zola, a legal cassiterite mine.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
Paying the human price for mobile phones
Cassiterite is just one of the minerals used in mobile phones. Half of the world's production of those minerals comes from Central Africa. The DRC's export of tin, gold and other ore has been under particular scrutiny since 2010, when laws were introduced in the United States requiring listed US companies to ensure their supply chains were free from "conflict minerals".
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Karmann
Proving the legality of minerals
A poster in Nzibira explains how sacks of minerals need to be properly sealed and labeled by the mine inspector so their legal origin can be proven to US firms. The system, however, has many gaps. Illicit mines can simply sell their yield on the black market or smuggle their goods into a legal mine to have them packed there.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
Exploitation of children
Despite efforts by rights groups, human rights violations remain widespread in mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children like Esperance Furahaare, who was kidnapped and raped by militia when she was 14 years old, are common victims of exploitation and violence.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
Environmental impact
Mines, which are difficult to police, can also harm the environment and surrounding communities. At illegal mines, waste water runoff often makes its way into local water sources, polluting the supply.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
Unclear future for laws tackling conflict minerals
US lawmakers are currently trying to advance a bill that would eliminate the 2010 reforms. Legislators argue that the Dodd-Frank Act has stifled economic development in the US and has not effectively addressed exploitation in Central Africa. While US companies must ensure their supplies are not conflict minerals, all they are expected to do is ask their suppliers, not supply proof or origin.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Bätz
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While some companies have improved their controls on cobalt supply chains, they are still far from fully meeting the requirement, according to Amnesty's Germany chief, Mathias John.
Allegations were also leveled at other leading electronics manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung and Sony, who continue to benefit from child labor in the DRC, Amnesty said.
The report said all cobalt suppliers are supposed to guarantee human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and the OECD's Guidelines for Economic Co-operation and Development.
