Child Labor and Human Rights Violations in the Mining Industry of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on “Child Labor and Human Rights Violations in the Mining Industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the “right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous.” The Forced Labour Convention of 1930 and related instruments prohibit all forms of forced or compulsory labor.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a resource rich but governance poor country. Seventy percent of all the world’s mining of cobalt – constituting a major part of the global supply chain – occurs within the DRC, and an estimated 40,000 children toil in non-regulated artisanal mines under hazardous conditions. Environmental degradation is a corollary byproduct. Foreign concerns – primarily Chinese and Russian – are prevalent in the DRC’s mining sector. Corruption of public officials who are responsible for granting licenses and selling assets is a significant problem. Civil society organizations and the Catholic Church are among those seeking to redress and ameliorate abuses.
This hearing will examine human rights violations in the DRC’s mining sector, including child and forced labor, disregard for worker safety, and environmental degradation. It will look at the role played by outside actors, including Chinese and Russian concerns, in corrupting government regulatory regimes in the DRC, and what impact this has on the global supply chain of certain extracted minerals. It will also examine the role of civil society in combatting such abuses.
This hearing will be hybrid. Pursuant to H. Res. 965, Members of Congress and witnesses will participate in person or remotely via Cisco WebEx. Members of the public and the media may view the hearing by live webcast on the Commission website. The hearing will also be available for viewing on the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Piero Tozzi (for Co-Chair Smith) or Kimberly Stanton (for Co-Chair McGovern).
Hosted by:
Christopher H. Smith
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Opening remarks
- Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chair TLHRC
Written Remarks
Witnesses
Panel I
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Hervé Diakiese Kyungu, Attorney
Written testimony -
Eric Schultz, Former U.S. Ambassador to Zambia
Written testimony -
Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, S.J., PhD., Head of Research Department, CEPAS
Written testimony -
Sasha Lezhnev, Policy Consultant, The Sentry
Written testimony
Submitted for the Record
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Rep. James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, TLHRC, Statement Submitted for the Record
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Thea Lee, Undersecretary for International Affairs, Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, Statement Submitted for the Record
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Terrence P. Collingsworth, Executive Director, International Rights Advocates, Statement Submitted for the Record
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Caroline Anstey, President & CEO, Pact, Statement Submitted for the Record
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Congressional Research Service, “The Mining Sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Selected Issues Related to Human Rights, Corruption, and Strategic Competition,” Memorandum to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, July 7, 2022, Excerpt