Pact World
Paraphrased Mission: Pact focuses on ending child labor at mine sites which the International Labour Organization considers “one of the worst forms of child labor” in many major cities around the world. Pact has been working for over a decade with the help of communities, governments, the private sector, and miners to get to the root of the child mining system. They also create local schools, health and social services, and child protection organizations for children that are directly impacted. Through their work, they help families keep children in school and out of the mining industry.
The OCTW Connection: This issue is pressing right now because most electronic devices have batteries which are made from child-mined cobalt from The Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, major electronic companies such as Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, and Samsung are in a lawsuit for all of the child miners that have died from their poor working conditions. Child mining needs to end now, it causes children to get injured and die.
Fact and Figures: Over half of the world’s cobalt is sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). There are more than 40,000 children that are forced into mining in southern DRC, and children start as young as seven. Child miners are made to work 12 hours a day - some even 24 hours - with nothing to eat, and only make $1-2 a day. Many children work in the mines so that they can afford school which costs $10-30 a month.
Regional Context: The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country in Central Africa, and it is the second largest nation in Africa. DRC is the 13th most populated country in the world with around 103 million people living there. There is an abundance of natural resources in DRC, but the country has a history of political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, and commercial exploitation. The capital is Kinshasa. and the two next largest cities, Lubumbashi and Mbuji-Mayi, are both major mining communities. Within the country, around 2 million children face starvation. Since 2018, around 600,000 Congolese have fled DRC to other countries because of the ongoing war conflicts in the center and east DRC.
Educational Resources:
Amnesty: more info about Cobalt Child Labor
The Guardian: Child Deaths Lawsuit with Apple and Google
How to get involved: Pact World allows anyone to donate to help continue and spread their work to get rid of mining in DRC.