Child Mining in an Era of High-Technology

This book is about “child labor exploitation.” The book argues that mining work is one of the worst forms of child labor because the working conditions in the mines are harmful to the health, safety, education, and development of child miners. It also contends that a combination of factors drives children to work in the artisanal mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These variables include poverty; adult unemployment; lack of educational opportunities; sociocultural conditions; lack of law enforcement; and globalization with its high demand for mined minerals and cheap labor.

The book also alleges that child miners in the DRC contribute significantly in the production of a variety of raw minerals, such as cobalt, coltan, and tin, which are used in the process of fabrication cell phones, computers and other modern electronics. For example, children involved in cobalt mining in the DRC produce about 7.5% of the world’s total production of cobalt. The employers and corporations that source minerals from child miners reap high profits while paying children extremely low wages.

The book concludes by suggesting the adoption of a comprehensive approach to eradicate child mining labor in the DRC. This includes the reduction of poverty, the creation of alternative opportunities for child miners, the enforcement of free education in remote mining areas, the prosecution of child labor-exploiters, the traceability of mined minerals, and public awareness-raising on the slavery-like situation of child miners. Some of these strategies have been adopted in countries that previously had a high prevalence of child labor, such as Brazil, Kenya, and the Philippines. As a result, the prevalence of child labor significantly decreased in those countries.

Human rights attorney Roger-Claude Liwanga reveals the painful truths that lead to Congolese children working in hazardous mines – “free education” that is not free; severely impoverished families that can neither pay for school nor survive without their children working; a government legally obligated to protect children and prosecute traffickers but does not because it is rife with corruption and revenue short;  and affluent countries that consume commodities, produced in part with raw materials mined by trafficked children, while ignoring the supply chain.  Liwanga gets it!  He has conducted extensive research including face to face interviews with all the critical players without a preset agenda.

Susan L. French – Former U.S. Department of Justice Human Trafficking Prosecutor

A well-researched book, which has highlighted issues concerning the exploitation of child miners in Congo. A powerful story, which also throws light on the psychological and physical abuse of children and a shocking number of children’s deaths a year! Human right organizations and educational institutions will find this book really beneficial, informative and revealing.

Jai Sharma – Chairman, World Commission of Human Rights

This book reveals the dilemma of craving the latest technologies (phones, tablets and laptops) without understanding high human cost paid to extract the natural resources to create these commodities; particularly the human tragedy of exploiting of child labor. The sociological factors that contribute to a climate in which child mining can flourish is clearly documented by Dr. Liwanga. He masterfully weaves a story of the plight and exploitation of African children and the burden child mining places on the Congolese family unit.

Dr. Alicia Simon – Assistant Professor of Sociology, Clark Atlanta University

I was not even out of the introduction and into the pages with real numbers before being taken by the approach, the issues of course, which is strongly in focus for slavefreetrade, and the innate difficulties in both getting inside the business and then doing something about it. This book reminded me (again) of the complexity in applying some of the most fundamental principles of human rights law.

Brian Iselin – Founder

President, Slave Free Trade