![]() ![]() One only has to go as far as the third page of the submission Obscured to protect their identities but the horrors of their injuries areĬlearly visible. Many have been maimed and killed.Ĭhilling photos of the injuries sustained by plaintiffs. Not only are they being exploited but theyĪlso face great risks in unsafe tunnels. They are also tasked withĬleaning the ore before it is sold. According to an Amnesty International Report, the children mine using very primitive tools, and theirīare hands to search for rocks containing cobalt. Submission details the horrific and painful stories of children who have had noĬhoice but to work in artisanal mines, or creuseursĪs they are known in the DRC. Well as other sources, was mined in significant part by young children “specific knowledge from public reports that the DRC cobalt that they wereīuying within their ventures with Glencore/Umicore and/or Huayou Cobalt, as How do the defendants know where the cobalt comes from ? ![]() Plausible deniability as to the source of the cobalt they purchase from Of the DRC cobalt to give Defendants Apple, Alphabet, Dell, Microsoft and Tesla Huayou Cobalt allegedly supplies cobalt to Apple, Dell and Microsoft.ĭuring the refining process, Umicore deliberately mixes cobalt allegedly minedīy children with other cobalt and “takes other steps to impair the traceability Glencore then it in turn supplies Dell and Tesla, according to IRA’s research. In the case of Dell and Tesla, LG Chem is supplied by The processed cobalt from Glencore is then Glencore mines the cobalt, allegedly with the use of child labour and Umicore (Huayou Cobalt) are two of the biggest companies in the cobalt supply industry. ![]() The IRA explain that the connection is asįollows: the companies Glencore/Umicore and Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Company Ltd Haut-Katanga and Lualaba Provinces in the DRC.įrom the DRC that is sourced from mines that use child labour. Global supply of cobalt is mined in the so called “copper belt” region of Smart phones, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices many of us haveĬome to rely on, and approximately two-thirds of the Required to manufacture the rechargeable lithium-ion battery used in all of the (depending on how one looks at it) with vast mineral wealth including cobalt. Has faced and continues to face calamity including war, deadly outbreaks of Ebola, debilitating corruption and instability to They accuse the companies of “knowingly benefitingįrom and aiding and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children inĭemocratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) to mine cobalt.” The mines and families whose children have died in mines. Injunctive relief and damages has been brought by the US based International RightsĪdvocates (IRA) on behalf of children injured in To the use of child labour in the mining of cobalt in the Democratic Republic Tesla have been named as defendants in what could be a landmark case pertaining Google (through its parent company Alphabet, ![]()
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