The mining of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is linked to major human rights risks, including forced labor and child labor. Although the working conditions of those in the cobalt sector are widely acknowledged to be problematic, little was previously known about the scale or specifics of these issues.

This study helps fill this gap. The objective of this study was to gather quantitative data on the prevalence and nature of forced labor in the mining of cobalt in the DRC. The study aims to estimate the prevalence of forced labor in cobalt mining in the DRC; understand the demographic characteristics of workers experiencing forced labor; explore the various roles within the context of the cobalt supply chain, particularly at the mining level, and which roles maybe involve increased vulnerability to forced labor; and understand the working conditions in the cobalt mining industry, particularly the hazards involved in the work.

The Resource Centre invited the parent company of the companies cited in the report to respond to the allegations. The following companies responded: Tenke Fungurume Mining/CMOC Group; and Metalkol Roan Tailings Reclamation/Eurasian Resources Group. Their responses are linked below.

The following companies did not respond: Kamoto Copper Company/Glencore, La Sino-Congolaise des Mines (Sicomines)/China Railway Group Limited (CREC), Deziwa Mining Company (Somidez)/China Nonferrous Metal Compagny (CNMC); and Gécamines.