Amnesty International and African Resources Watch have issued a report alleging that the supply chains of major electronics companies — including Apple, Sony and Samsung — included cobalt mined by child laborers in Africa. The companies have failed to make basic checks to halt the practice, the report claims. The report traces the harvesting and sale of cobalt in the poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo — where children as young as seven work the mines — for use in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones and electric cars.
Lithium batteries are used in power tools, home phones, cameras, toys, watches, cars, drones, flashlights, etc. It is a bit unfair to single out cellphone makers like Apple and Samsung. If one were to extent that logic, we as users should be the ones to blame. Amnesty International ought to post the names of the mine managers instead.
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Child Laborers Mine for Cobalt Used in Tech Gadgets
Posted by: David Jones January 20, 2016 03:53 PMAmnesty International and African Resources Watch have issued a report alleging that the supply chains of major electronics companies — including Apple, Sony and Samsung — included cobalt mined by child laborers in Africa. The companies have failed to make basic checks to halt the practice, the report claims. The report traces the harvesting and sale of cobalt in the poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo — where children as young as seven work the mines — for use in lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones and electric cars.