Apple, Samsung and Sony accused of exploiting child labor in the mines of the Congo

    Apple, Samsung and Sony accused of having suppliers who exploit child labor in Congo's mines. The complaint comes from a new report published by Amnesty International according to which smartphone batteries could be produced with the contribution of children under the age of ten.


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    Apple, Samsung and Sony accused of having suppliers that exploit the child labor in mines of the Congo. The complaint comes from a new report published by Amnesty International according to which the batteries of smartphones and other devices could be produced with the contribution of children under the age of ten.

    Some materials necessary for the production of electronic components for mobile phones, computers and other technological gadgets are extracted from the mines in Congo, which are made using, among others, cobalt, gold, tantalum and tungsten.

    Among the companies that have managed to eliminate exploitation from their supply chains by controlling mining activities and choosing unexploited mines is Intel. It is therefore possible to intervene from this point of view.

    For other multinationals, however, it seems that there is still a long way to go. According to the Amnesty International report, the cobalt extracted from mines in Congo to produce batteries for Apple, Samsung and Sony devices is linked to the exploitation of child labor.

    As the BBC explains, the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces 50% of the cobalt used in the world. The miners working in these areas face severe health problems and the risk of fatal accidents.

    Amnesty International has collected the testimonies of some children who work in the mines in the Congo, such as Paul, a 14-year-old orphan who started mining when he was only 12. Children usually do not enter mine tunnels but stay in. surface to perform various heavy work.

    According to Unicef, they are at least 40 thousand children who are exploited in the mines of the Congo. Apple has responded to Amnesty's allegations by claiming that child labor is not tolerated in its production chain and is proud to have raised the levels of scrutiny. Yet children continue to be exploited. It is therefore a very vast phenomenon, difficult to keep under control.



    Apple however, it would already be active, at least in words, to solve the problem of child labor and as regards cobalt and other mineral resources, it has stated that it has set to work to identify environmental risks and abuses.

    Samsung stressed its zero tolerance policy for child labor and claims to conduct regular checks on its production chain. Also Sony declares to be at work to address issues related to human rights and working conditions in production sites.

    Amnesty International from its point of view speaks of a real one paradox. He contacted many companies to clarify the situation and most denied being involved in the exploitation of child labor.

    Apple, Samsung and Sony accused of exploiting child labor in the mines of the Congo

    Apple, Samsung and Sony accused of exploiting child labor in the mines of the Congo

    In the affluent world, millions of people enjoy the benefits of new technologies but rarely ask themselves how smartphones, tablets and other devices are made. The question of the exploitation of child labor and of ‘conflict minerals’ it is therefore still open and many billionaire companies still declare that they are unable to control where the raw materials used for production come from.



    Specialties Thu the relationship of Amnesty on child exploitation in the mines of the Congo.

    Marta Albè

    Fonte foto: Amnesty International

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