Child labor in the mining industry in the DRC at the heart of the debates at the Tom Santos Committee

The Tom Lantos Commission on Human Rights, a coalition of the United States House of Representatives, reserved a special session this Thursday on “child labor and human rights violations in the mining industry in the DRC”.

This session will examine human rights violations in the mining sector in the DRC, including child and forced labor, disregard for worker safety and environmental degradation. It will also discuss the role played by outside actors, including Chinese and Russian companies, the corruption of government regulatory regimes in the DRC, and the impact on the global supply chain of certain minerals. 

Activist Hervé Diakiese Kyungu will be among the panelists. There will also be Eric Schultz, former US Ambassador to Zambia, Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, SJ, PhD., Head of Research Department (CEPAS) and Sasha Lezhnev, Policy Consultant (The Sentry). 

“The corruption of public officials responsible for licensing and selling assets is a significant problem. Civil society organizations and the Catholic Church are among those seeking to redress and ameliorate abuses,” notes the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Congo-Kinshasa is a country rich in resources but poor in governance, notes the commission. Its population lives on average on $1.25 a day. 

The many mineral riches of the DRC are exported in their raw state. The country has a reserve of 400 million tons of lithium and 25 million tons of cobalt. The sector is dominated by Chinese investments.

According to several NGOs, around 40,000 children work in artisanal mines and in dangerous conditions in the DRC.

Members of Congress and other participants will attend in person or remotely.