Tech Giants Linked To Child Labor In Congo Cobalt Mines

(RTTNews) - Tech giants like Apple Inc. (AAPL), Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSNLF.OB, SSNNF.OB, SMSN.L) and Sony Corp. (SNE) are not doing basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child laborers has not been used in their products, Amnesty International and Afrewatch said in a report.

The report traces the sale of cobalt, used in lithium-ion batteries, from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DRC, where children as young as seven and adults work in perilous conditions. The DRC produces at least 50 percent of the world's cobalt.

According to the report, traders buy cobalt from areas where child labor is rife and sell it to Congo Dongfang Mining or CDM, a wholly-owned unit of Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Ltd.

Amnesty International's probe shows that Huayou Cobalt and its subsidiary CDM process the cobalt before selling it to three battery component manufacturers in China and South Korea. These three battery component makers bought more than $90 million worth of cobalt from Huayou Cobalt in 2013.

In turn, these battery component makers sell to battery makers who claim to supply their batteries to technology and auto companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Daimler and Volkswagen.

Amnesty International found that the vast majority of miners work long hour every day without the most basic of protective equipment, such as gloves, work clothes or facemasks to protect them from lung or skin disease.

According to the report, children worked for up to 12 hours a day in the mines and carry heavy loads to earn between one and two dollars a day.

"Mining the basic materials that power an electric car or a smartphone should be a source of prosperity for miners in DRC. The reality is that it is a back-breaking life of misery for almost no money. Big brands have the power to change this," Mark Dummett, Business & Human Rights Researcher at Amnesty International said.

Amnesty International and Afrewatch urged multinational companies who use lithium-ion batteries in their products to investigate whether the cobalt is extracted under hazardous conditions or with child labor, and be more transparent about their suppliers.

The organizations have also called on China to require Chinese companies operating overseas to investigate their supply chains and address human rights abuses in their operations.