For decades, the Democratic Republic of Congo has used child labour to mine cobalt under dangerous working conditions. On Sept. 26, the Carleton University Human Rights Society (CUHRS) called on the university to end its support for the unethical sourcing of the mineral.
CUHRS released a statement condemning the conflict and human rights violations that Congolese people are facing. Children as young as six have been found working in mines and almost a quarter of labourers are under the age of 14.
In its statement, CUHRS identified the use of young labourers as child slavery and “a grave violation of children’s rights.”
“The suffering of the Congolese people, especially women and children, is deeply concerning, and is rooted in a legacy of colonial exploitation,” the statement says.
The statement added that the lack of international action has contributed to the suffering.
Producing around 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt, the Congo is the world’s largest producer of the mineral, which is used in smartphones, computers, electric cars and other technologies.
“The rarity of this material along with the value of mining has led many companies, such as Tesla and Apple, to invest in this exploitive industry,” the statement says.
Sienna Scullion, a second-year Carleton human rights and social justice student and CUHRS vice-president of research, said the society wanted to spread awareness on this issue as it’s one not many people are aware of.
“As students we definitely use a lot of electronics,” Scullion said. “It’s important to know where our electronics come from — where the material comes from.”
Because Carleton is a large STEM school, she added that the materials used in science and engineering technology may use cobalt that has been unethically sourced.
The CUHRS also called on the university to divest from companies sourcing cobalt from the Congo, end partnerships with companies unable to prove ethical sourcing and to use technologies that don’t rely on cobalt.
“We’re hoping to see things like responsible investments. Looking more into companies … making sure that any resources or technology they’re sourcing is done in a responsible way,” Scullion said.
In a written statement to the Charlatan, Steven Reid, Carleton’s media relations officer, said the university is “committed to responsible investment,” pointing to the Reasonable Investing Policy created in 2023.
The Reasonable Investing Policy looks at environmental, social and governance principles when evaluating new investments which are “utilised to judge financial returns as well as overall impact.”
Scullion also said she hopes for more transparency from the university regarding where it sources its materials.
“It’s something we’ve been calling for for a while now.”
Mia Filipetti, a third-year Carleton law student, said the CUHRS statement was important for students to read to understand the role they have in the situation.
“[Students] are pretty much, in some form, also contributing to the exploitation of children who are actively getting worse in their health condition,” Filipetti said. “[We] are able to use resources that we take for granted here that are clearly using exploitation of children.”
Scullion said she aims to remind Carleton faculty and students of the role they have to play within the community.
“As students and as the university, you do have a part in this,” Scullion added. “You’re not directly responsible for the exploitation, but as students you have the responsibility to keep your tech as long as you can.”
Scullion said CUHRS currently does not have plans to demonstrate or call on the university more regarding this issue, but hopes to create more knowledge for students throughout the year.
Featured Graphic Alisha Velji/The Charlatan.
