The mining industry proves essential for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) economy. The DRC boasts 70% of the world’s cobalt, roughly 3.5 million metric tons of cobalt reserves. This amount has attracted foreign investors who see the potential of the resources, but it has also led to unfortunate human rights abuses in the DRC.
Though foreign direct investment should be beneficial to any nation, historically, investment in the mining industry has had a negative impact on the DRC for a number of reasons. These reasons include human rights abuses in the DRC as the profit-seeking companies are forcefully displacing Congolese people from their homes. Action on the part of the Congolese government is lacking as human rights abuses in the DRC continue due to mining activities. The Borgen Project spoke with Marie Mujinga, a Masisi, North Kivu resident, who witnessed first-hand these human rights abuses in the DRC taking place around the mines.
Companies Exploiting and Violating Rights
International companies that have had or still have a significant stake in the DRC’s mining industry include the Compagnie Miniere de Musonoie Global SAS (COMMUS). China owns 72% of the COMMUS company shares and the DRC owns the other 28%. Then, there is Metalkol SA, owned fully by Luxemburg. Canada owns 39.6% of Kamoa Copper SA while China owns 39.6% and the DRC owns 20%. Various global companies have taken their place in the DRC’s mining industry, but this has come with consequences.
In 2022, in two separate instances, Amnesty International and the Initiative for Good Governance and Human Rights (IBGDH) interviewed 133 people at six mining projects in Kolwezi. These individuals reported being forcibly evicted and threatened to leave their homes without sufficient money to relocate to new locations.
Another example is COMMUS’ involvement in the DRC. Since 2015, COMMUS has demolished various homes in Kolezwi, where 39,000 people live for mining purposes. COMMUS claims it gave adequate compensation packages above market prices, but the displaced citizens disagree. The Vice President of Zijin Mining Group, the Chinese company involved in COMMUS, wrote a letter to Mark Dummett and Donat Kambola, activists from Amnesty International and IBGDH, in May 2023. The letter said COMMUS is “committed to mining for a better society” and “to promote the protection of human rights and the wellbeing of the people.” The stories of Congolese citizens paint a different picture, as mining companies have violated their rights in pursuit of mining goals.
Child Labor
Child labor is also a pressing issue in the mining industry. Masisi resident Marie Mujinga describes the human rights abuses she has witnessed. Masisi is home to the Rubaya mines, the largest producer of coltan, a mineral, in the country. The DRC also is the biggest producer of coltan globally. Coltan is used in mobile phones, meaning this area attracts many foreign investors, such as technology companies.
Mujinga says that, in Masisi, international forces and companies, local gangs and neighboring countries like Rwanda and Uganda have involved themselves in mining activities. “They’ve used small children as [young] as five or six to go into the mines to get gold, titanium and coltan as they know children are cheap labor.”
Impoverished children have no choice because their little money from this adds to the household income. Mujinga says she knows many kids who went underground and died due to the dangerous working conditions. For example, Mujinga noted, “A lot of these mines have water inside of them. The children have to go in dirty water inside the mining caves barefooted and unprotected. This is where they catch bacterial-related diseases such as typhoid, cholera and diarrhea.” Not only children but also adults would go through the same ordeal, Mujinga adds.
Preventative Measures
People internationally have noticed the suffering and abuses of children and others that mining has exploited. In July 2023, a bill was introduced into the U.S. House to ban “imported products containing minerals critical to electric vehicle batteries but mined through child labor and other abusive conditions in Congo,” AP News reported. “The measure also would require the president to identify and impose sanctions, including visa and transaction prohibitions, on foreign actors who facilitate and exploit child labor in Congo,” AP News says.
This step is significant and will hopefully help promote safer methods of mining. The U.S. is a big market that companies may lose if they continue using exploitative methods. This change can also influence other countries to take similar actions. In the U.K., Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, while Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, said in 2022 that the U.K. is working with international partners to help prevent illicit mining
Many parties are still trying to get the most out of DRC’s natural mineral resources regardless of who gets hurt. International companies are not the only organizations involved in the abuses of miners and children. Internal forces have been mining for their gain at the expense of their people. This policy creates further issues in trying to help prevent human rights abuses for mining from internal and external bodies. International bodies have tried to highlight theming-related human rights issues, with Amnesty International and IBGDH spotlighting unethical and exploitative companies working in the DRC. Similar human rights abuses can be prevented on a larger scale if such work continues.
– Christelle Wealth-Mukendi
Photo: Flickr
Conservation project in Namibia helps fight rural poverty
Namibia was the first country to enshrine the protection of the environment into its constitution, making it a suitable home for the conservation project. Recognizing that effective conservation comprises the ‘preservation of natural habitats, the well-being of wildlife and the empowerment of local communities,’ the N/a’ankuse Foundation targets the reduction of species endangerment whilst fighting the rural poverty that the local San community is facing. As indigenous descendants of the oldest inhabitants of Southern and Eastern Africa, the San have suffered years of ostracism, violence and even genocide, and are subject to the worst effects of the country’s poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Health Care Efforts
Through both donations and the project’s flourishing volunteering program, N/a’ankuse has funded the Lifeline Clinic, whose main focus is tackling the poor health outcomes for the San community. Members of the community benefit from annual medical care through clinic-based health care and outreach programs, aided by a 4×4 ambulance, which is helping to combat the persistent discrimination in service provision toward the San as well as their geographic isolation. Bi-weekly nutritional support programs, attended by up to 120 people, provide emergency malnutrition aid as well as education and information regarding health and dietary requirements.
Education
The project has further recognized the importance of education in the fight against rural poverty. An estimated 55.6% of the San population have never received a formal education due to marginalization within public schools, widespread bullying, poor exam results and the giving up of schooling entirely. Yet the N/a’ankuse primary school, established in 2009, directly challenges these barriers to education and the subsequent high illiteracy levels within the community. Recently, Namibia’s Petroleum Training and Education Fund (PETROFUND) provided members of the primary school with the opportunity to attend St. Boniface College in 2024, one of the country’s most acclaimed schools, through the provision of tuition and boarding fees.
The project’s conservation efforts revolve around a holistic approach to both the environment and human life. The primary school creates a safe and welcoming environment for San children, fostering a deep respect for local wildlife. This not only enhances educational outcomes for the children but also encourages the local community to participate in preserving their environment.
The school inspires its students to maintain their vegetable gardens and educates them about conservation efforts. Simultaneously, local community members are employed to support activities like beach clean-ups, anti-poaching initiatives and environmental sustainability projects. In 2020, an agricultural program was established to reinforce nutritional support by providing fresh fruits and vegetables. It also offers training and job opportunities in agricultural and hydroponic techniques for the community.
Such training is essential for the continuity of sustainable farming, ensuring a steady supply of fresh local produce. This helps address malnutrition and improve overall health within the community.
Looking Ahead
The N/a’ankuse project is a remarkable illustration of sustainability and conservation efforts collaboratively addressing rural poverty. By adopting an integrated approach, this initiative has shown that it is possible to uplift both communities and their environment for a brighter future.
– Phoebe Long
Photo: Flickr
How Padman Has Been Addressing Period Poverty in India
How Arunachalam Muruganantham Got Started
In 2012, Arunachalam Muruganantham shared how he became a successful social entrepreneur and changed the lives of women in India facing period poverty at HerStory’s Women on a Mission Summit. Arunachalam Muruganantham was born in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. Muruganantham grew up in poverty after losing his father in a road accident. Due to this, he worked various jobs, including machine tool operator, farm laborer and welder, to support his family. In 1998, he married a woman named Shanthi. Muruganantham discovered his wife using dirty rags and newspapers to construct a period pad during her menstrual cycle. This was due to the expensive cost of the sanitary napkins that multinational corporations produced. Despite the raw materials costing ₹10 ($0.13), the end product was sold for 40 times that price, sustaining the burden of period poverty for women in India.
Muruganantham decided this was unacceptable and began designing experimental pads made of cotton, though his wife and sisters later rejected these. His wife and sisters refused to volunteer for his experiments, so he looked for female volunteers in his village to test his invention. However, due to the taboo nature surrounding the topic of periods in India, everyone refused. Muruganantham decided to test the product himself, using a bladder filled with animal blood. When his invention was discovered, he was ridiculed and ostracized by the community and family.
Constructing the Pads
Muruganantham discovered that the commercial pads used cellulose fibers derived from pine bark wood pulp, which helped the pad absorb liquid while retaining its shape. The imported machines used to make these pads cost ₹35 million ($440,000), so Muruganantham devised an alternative low-cost machine. By sourcing the wood pulp from a supplier in Mumbai, Muruganantham created a machine that ground, de-fibrated, pressed and sterilized the pads under ultraviolet light. This machine only costs ₹65,000 ($810).
In 2006, Muruganantham visited IIT Madras and registered his invention for the National Innovation Foundation’s Grassroots Technological Innovations Award, which it won. Through this, he was able to obtain funding and market these machines to women across rural India. Despite corporations offering to commercialize his invention, Muruganantham has refused and continues to only provide these machines to self-help groups run by women. Muruganantham’s story became the subject of an award-winning documentary by Amit Virmani called Menstrual Man. Muruganantham has now become known as Padman, a social entrepreneur whose invention has changed women’s lives in India who were facing period poverty.
How His Work Lives On
Arunachalam Muruganantham’s invention continues to support women in India and has inspired upcoming social entrepreneurs such as Ajinkya Dhariya. In 2022, Dhariya took his idea for a start-up that develops sustainable sanitary disposal technologies to Shark Tank India. “One sanitary napkin takes 500 to 800 years to decompose, and 98% of sanitary napkins go into landfills and water bodies. They are also burnt at 800 degrees with incineration, producing hazardous waste, toxic smell and smoke,” Dhariya said on Shark Tank India.
Dhariya’s company, PadCare, offers a bin to store waste for 30 days without bacterial growth or smell. The company has 150 major clients, such as Facebook and Goldman Sachs, and has installed more than 5,500 PadCare bins across India. The company has received international interest from countries such as the U.S., Canada and Singapore. The work of social entrepreneurs and inventors in India has improved the lives of women facing period poverty. By breaking down the taboo surrounding women’s menstruation and sexual health in India, the country can lessen period poverty.
– Anjini Snape
Photo: Unsplash
Chile’s Path to Development
At a time when Latin America struggles with socioeconomic and political turmoil, Chile stands as a solid contrast. The country tops Latin America regarding economic freedom, security, development and globalization and is the only country in Latin America that the World Bank has ranked as a high-income country.
However, a few decades prior, the Chilean economy was in a deep financial crisis. Between 1982 and 1983, Chile’s GDP fell by 16%, unemployment soared to 30%, and around half of the population fell below the poverty line, while extreme poverty affected 30% of the population. How did Chile go from a bleeding economy to the top of the ranks in Latin America and earn a spot as a developed country?
Chile’s Road to Growth
Starting in 1985, the Chilean government, with assistance from the Chicago Boys, a group of Chilean economists who were prominent around the 1980s, shifted focus toward economic growth and financial solvency. Exports grew rapidly and unemployment decreased. The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean showed that Chile experienced the highest levels of economic growth of all countries during the 1980s.
While these efforts established the groundwork for Chile’s economic transformation, they did not address the widespread poverty, which resulted in a collapse in public health services, lower wages and lower social pensions for the elderly. Following these results, a new approach placed the fight against poverty as the nation’s top priority under Chile’s Growth with Equity Development Strategy. The administration sought to balance pro-growth policies along with strong social policies.
4 Objectives in Chile’s Path to Development
Chile’s path to development focused on four primary objectives:
The Reform’s Immediate Impact
Following the new policies, the Chilean economy grew at 6% per year, and poverty reduced from 40% to 20% of the population between 1990 and 2000, which was a historic high. Furthermore, in a continent that ranks last in wealth inequality, the policies cut in half the extreme income disparity between the top 20% and the bottom 20% of the country. These policies continued to spur growth and reduce poverty during the 2000s. In 2022, the poverty rate was 4.8%, drastically lower than the average in Latin America.
A Model for Latin America
Chile is often referred to as the target model for other countries in Latin America due to its success in its economic restructuring and reaching a high level of development. However, economies across the globe are not uniform, and there is not a single solution applicable to all of Latin America. Yet, there are some lessons that other countries in Latin America can use that Chile’s path to development has illustrated.
The Importance of Social Networks and Institutions
Two very important conditions allowed the reform to be not only successful but also sustainable. The first was the establishment of an efficient network of social protection for low-income workers and families. Chile’s experience and early failures show that development centered on economic growth cannot abandon attention to social protection, health and education. The second was the creation of effective laws and institutions that provided stability to the economic policies and ensured they were maintained over time. A major problem in Latin America that hinders its growth is the constant change of policy that resets any progress. Growth needs to be stable and consistent for it to be sustainable.
Additionally, while many countries in Latin America have tried to obtain economic growth through isolationist policies, such as basing their economies on import substitutions, Chile’s path to development shows that being a global player has its benefits. By opening its economy up to world trade, Chile was able to earn itself a seat at the global table.
Looking Ahead
Through insightful economic reform, Chile went from a country on its knees to Latin America’s most stable economy. Chile was able to cut poverty successfully, split inequality and boost job creation tremendously. However, while there have been significant improvements, there is still progress to be made. Chile still battles significant wealth inequality and will need to address this issue with continued social investment that works to expand social mobility. Nevertheless, Chile has left behind many lessons and guidance for the rest of Latin America to follow as they attempt to walk their development paths.
– Cameron Alcocer
Photo: Flickr
5 Organizations Protecting Children’s Rights in India
Organizations Fighting for Children’s Rights in India
The Future
While India has been working significantly to improve child rights in India, the future, however, will continue to demand comprehensive strategies to ensure that children continue to benefit from such programs and organizations. Firstly, legal reforms must enhance and enforce existing protections, addressing issues like child labor and early marriage. Second, prioritizing education accessibility, especially in marginalized communities, is crucial. Third, health care initiatives should focus on reducing child mortality rates and improving nutrition. Additionally, awareness campaigns and community education can empower families and communities to advocate for children’s rights in India.
Collaboration among the government, NGOs and international organizations is vital to implement these measures effectively, ensuring every child in India enjoys a safer, healthier and more prosperous future with their rights protected.
In conclusion, India’s commitment to aiding child rights is crucial for the nation’s progress. By expanding access to education and health care, and fostering community awareness, India can ensure a brighter future for its children. Protecting their rights is not only a moral imperative but also an investment in the nation’s future prosperity and development.
– Piyush Plabon Das
Photo: Flickr
Shining Hope on Poverty in Kenya
Africa’s Largest Slum
Kibera sits on the southern edge of Nairobi and is home to more than 250,000 Kenyans in a space no larger than 2.5 km2. Considered a landmark for sightseers, thousands of men, women and children are victims of starvation and disease.
The area is a slum with dire living conditions, posing safety and disease threats to all inhabitants. It lacks clean water, electricity and sufficient food access while containing no proper housing and holds the constant threat of eviction at any time as an informal settlement. Mostly though, it has robbed most inhabitants of opportunities to educate themselves and to escape to a better life.
The Birth of SHOFCO
The Kibera slum is where it all began when a young Kennedy Odede was born into the tough, unsafe and cruel reality of poverty in Kenya. Odede managed to escape at the age of 10 to a life of sleeping rough and teaching himself with big dreams for a better future for Kenyans.
In 2004, and with nothing but a 10p coin, a football and an idea, the doctor sought out and found a way to support those he had left behind. He created Shining Hope for Communities from the ground up.
Now, the globe recognizes him as a social entrepreneur and is commending him for his achievements. He was crowned one of Forbes’ ’30 under 30’, and has received an Echoing Green Fellowship, among others. Odede still advocates and sits on various foundation boards to give a voice to those still suffering in silence.
SHOFCO Today
With offices in the U.S. and Kenya, Shining Hope For Communities has taken a grassroots approach to reducing poverty in Kenya by working directly with communities and informal settlements. They work closely with communities suffering the most to provide essential services, including water, safety and other basic survival needs.
SHOFCO then supports the further development of these areas, with education and development opportunities. It encourages and helps individuals access opportunities to improve their futures and through this, begin to develop healthy and self-sufficient communities.
So far, almost 20 years down the line, the organization has reached and achieved the following:
SHOFCO & Female Empowerment
Historically, females in the urban slums of Kenya were disregarded when it came to education and opportunities. SHOFCO launched Girls Leadership Academies in Kenya’s two largest slums, Kibera & Mathare. The academies have managed to reach 656 of the slum’s inhabitants.
The academies offer free education up to the eighth grade and opportunities far better than were previously accessible. Opportunities waiting outside the confines of the slum.
The girls are also granted access to free health care, supplies, uniforms and food, to ensure that the opportunity for a better future can be fully seized.
Since the launch of the education programs, the amount of girls contracting and suffering from HIV within the slums has reduced significantly. Higher survival rates have also been seen among infants with fewer but healthier children born. The students have gone on to continue advocating for change themselves; to earn more than ever expected and invest more than 90% of earnings into their families, further improving the future of these communities.
Looking Ahead
There is still a long way to go in eradicating poverty in Kenya, but this is only the beginning. SHOFCO is an example of an organization that has provided hope and opened up a future for the residents of Kibera and Mathare that had never existed and it does not have to stop there.
– Lucy Blake
Photo: Flickr
Lake Chad’s Water Supply: Scarcity and Solutions
Problems Rising
Lake Chad reaches across the majority of the southern region of Chad, and it also covers and supplies water to areas of people who live much farther north and also in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. In January of 2023, the World Bank surmised that Lake Chad’s water supply supports, “an estimated 30 million people whose livelihoods are closely linked to agricultural, herding and fishing activities.”
These 30 million people are now being drastically affected by the extreme loss that natural disasters have produced. According to the United Nations in 2019, “The water body has diminished by 90% since the 1960s due to overuse” and drought. Since they can no longer find food or clean water, competition for these needs has created conflict in the region and the lack of water has also led to unsanitary conditions.
Conditions Currently
The conditions of Lake Chad are not only hostile because of nature. Lack of water has an extreme effect on the human body and children can be among the most vulnerable. UNICEF’s “For Every Child” program shared that a lack of adequate water could cause extreme diarrhoeal disease and malabsorption phenomena, as well as extreme and chronic malnutrition. Additionally, in 2021, Down To Earth published an article explaining the way Chad’s residents have been forced to comply with extremist groups in the region due to their newfound desperation. Apparently, in previous years, residents were likely to migrate for fresh water and food sources when necessary. Now, they are blocked into certain areas by terrorist groups. They have no ability to find new resources, so they must find ways to sustain Lake Chad.
Solutions to Scarcity
In response to the water scarcity Chad faces, they have taken steps toward being sustainable and resourceful. In 2018, Chad became the first African country to join The Water Convention, which is serviced by the United Nations. This showed promise that “Chad has confirmed its strong commitment to the sustainable management of transboundary waters through the principles and rules of international law.” This will hopefully guide the use of the water to be sanctioned with more cooperation, as opposed to conflict.
Additionally, there are many towns making efforts of their own. The town of Bol, for example, has a community farm with water provided by The Agency of the Great Green Wall. They are also restoring the land in order to make the ground more fertile. Finally, “they have constructed underground cisterns and implemented drip irrigation systems, enabling them to grow crops even in the driest seasons.”
Overall, it would seem that water management is a key component of addressing Lake Chad’s water supply.
These progressions are slow but meaningful. Given time and cooperation, the people who rely on Lake Chad for water, fishing and daily life may be able to achieve a solution to the water crisis they face. With the natural disasters, sustainable tactics will be vital for restoring Lake Chad.
– Rachel Breeden
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance in Low-Income Countries
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes approximately 252,833 child deaths in low- and middle-income countries each year. Children living in Africa’s sub-Saharan region are 58 times more likely to die from AMR than those in high-income countries, according to an article published by the Center For Global Development in 2022.
In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) listed AMR as one of the “top 10 global public health threats facing humanity.” The good news is that numerous organizations are implementing policies to limit the number of deaths from AMR in low-income countries, and new studies on AMR show promising results.
AMR Explained
AMR develops when bacteria, parasites and viruses evolve over time and no longer react to medicines. This makes infections more difficult to treat and contributes to the spread of disease and death. Two well-known examples of antimicrobial-resistant infections include tuberculosis and MRSA.
Common causes of AMR are the overuse of antibiotics and lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Lower-income regions do not have the economy or infrastructure that allows for proper water and sanitation services. As a result, individuals living in low- and middle-income countries are 1.5 times more likely to die from AMR than those living in high-income regions.
The Potential Impact of Vaccinations
In early July 2023, BMJ Global Health released a new study that emphasized the importance of vaccination in combating the spread of antimicrobial-resistant infections. According to the study, vaccines targeting 15 pathogens could save more than half a million lives in Africa and Southeast Asia from vaccine-preventable AMR deaths each year. Vaccines could also prevent an estimated “28 million disability-adjusted life years” resulting from AMR-related infection.
Although this study is fairly recent, there has been ample progress in tackling the issue of antimicrobial resistance in low-income countries since its publication.
A New and Improved Report
In September 2023, a group of researchers from the Center for Global Development released a 68-page report titled, “A New Grand Bargain to Improve the Antimicrobial Market for Human Health.” The report outlines current issues with the antimicrobial market and poses political and operational recommendations. It also urges stakeholders to back these recommendations during the future UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024.
Political commitment to tackle AMR, especially in low-income countries, has increased over the years. High-level commitments were made at both the 2015 World Health Assembly and the 2016 UN General Assembly. About 38 countries are currently developing national action plans to tackle AMR in their countries, and 170 countries have already finalized their National Action Plan.
The United Republic of Tanzania is in the process of implementing a second five-year National Action Plan from 2023 to 2028 to target AMR deaths. The 140-page document extensively covers the issue of antimicrobial resistance within the country, with six main strategic objectives. These objectives include “awareness raising and risk communication,” as well as “research and development,” which includes plans such as establishing dissemination and sharing frameworks for AMR research results.
Tanzania is just one of 169 other countries that have developed national action plans for tackling antimicrobial resistance.
As of 2019, AMR has directly contributed to 1.27 million deaths and is linked to an additional 3.7 million fatalities each year. Through further research and the development of action plans, it is possible to combat AMR and create a safer life for communities in low- and middle-income regions.
– Naaima Abd-Elhameed
Photo: Flickr
Human Rights Abuses in the DRC for Mining Gains
The mining industry proves essential for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) economy. The DRC boasts 70% of the world’s cobalt, roughly 3.5 million metric tons of cobalt reserves. This amount has attracted foreign investors who see the potential of the resources, but it has also led to unfortunate human rights abuses in the DRC.
Though foreign direct investment should be beneficial to any nation, historically, investment in the mining industry has had a negative impact on the DRC for a number of reasons. These reasons include human rights abuses in the DRC as the profit-seeking companies are forcefully displacing Congolese people from their homes. Action on the part of the Congolese government is lacking as human rights abuses in the DRC continue due to mining activities. The Borgen Project spoke with Marie Mujinga, a Masisi, North Kivu resident, who witnessed first-hand these human rights abuses in the DRC taking place around the mines.
Companies Exploiting and Violating Rights
International companies that have had or still have a significant stake in the DRC’s mining industry include the Compagnie Miniere de Musonoie Global SAS (COMMUS). China owns 72% of the COMMUS company shares and the DRC owns the other 28%. Then, there is Metalkol SA, owned fully by Luxemburg. Canada owns 39.6% of Kamoa Copper SA while China owns 39.6% and the DRC owns 20%. Various global companies have taken their place in the DRC’s mining industry, but this has come with consequences.
In 2022, in two separate instances, Amnesty International and the Initiative for Good Governance and Human Rights (IBGDH) interviewed 133 people at six mining projects in Kolwezi. These individuals reported being forcibly evicted and threatened to leave their homes without sufficient money to relocate to new locations.
Another example is COMMUS’ involvement in the DRC. Since 2015, COMMUS has demolished various homes in Kolezwi, where 39,000 people live for mining purposes. COMMUS claims it gave adequate compensation packages above market prices, but the displaced citizens disagree. The Vice President of Zijin Mining Group, the Chinese company involved in COMMUS, wrote a letter to Mark Dummett and Donat Kambola, activists from Amnesty International and IBGDH, in May 2023. The letter said COMMUS is “committed to mining for a better society” and “to promote the protection of human rights and the wellbeing of the people.” The stories of Congolese citizens paint a different picture, as mining companies have violated their rights in pursuit of mining goals.
Child Labor
Child labor is also a pressing issue in the mining industry. Masisi resident Marie Mujinga describes the human rights abuses she has witnessed. Masisi is home to the Rubaya mines, the largest producer of coltan, a mineral, in the country. The DRC also is the biggest producer of coltan globally. Coltan is used in mobile phones, meaning this area attracts many foreign investors, such as technology companies.
Mujinga says that, in Masisi, international forces and companies, local gangs and neighboring countries like Rwanda and Uganda have involved themselves in mining activities. “They’ve used small children as [young] as five or six to go into the mines to get gold, titanium and coltan as they know children are cheap labor.”
Impoverished children have no choice because their little money from this adds to the household income. Mujinga says she knows many kids who went underground and died due to the dangerous working conditions. For example, Mujinga noted, “A lot of these mines have water inside of them. The children have to go in dirty water inside the mining caves barefooted and unprotected. This is where they catch bacterial-related diseases such as typhoid, cholera and diarrhea.” Not only children but also adults would go through the same ordeal, Mujinga adds.
Preventative Measures
People internationally have noticed the suffering and abuses of children and others that mining has exploited. In July 2023, a bill was introduced into the U.S. House to ban “imported products containing minerals critical to electric vehicle batteries but mined through child labor and other abusive conditions in Congo,” AP News reported. “The measure also would require the president to identify and impose sanctions, including visa and transaction prohibitions, on foreign actors who facilitate and exploit child labor in Congo,” AP News says.
This step is significant and will hopefully help promote safer methods of mining. The U.S. is a big market that companies may lose if they continue using exploitative methods. This change can also influence other countries to take similar actions. In the U.K., Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, while Minister of State for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, said in 2022 that the U.K. is working with international partners to help prevent illicit mining
Many parties are still trying to get the most out of DRC’s natural mineral resources regardless of who gets hurt. International companies are not the only organizations involved in the abuses of miners and children. Internal forces have been mining for their gain at the expense of their people. This policy creates further issues in trying to help prevent human rights abuses for mining from internal and external bodies. International bodies have tried to highlight theming-related human rights issues, with Amnesty International and IBGDH spotlighting unethical and exploitative companies working in the DRC. Similar human rights abuses can be prevented on a larger scale if such work continues.
– Christelle Wealth-Mukendi
Photo: Flickr
Enhancing Vulnerable People’s Mental Health in Colombia
Originally from Venezuela, Nunzia immigrated with her 20-year-old daughter to Cali, Colombia, where her other two children and many hopes for progress were waiting. Behind her, she left her country and her family — a hard process for every immigrant. However, all the good feelings found upon arrival turned into misfortunes and obstacles.
Normally, when someone emigrates from their home country, it is to improve their personal and economic situation. Nunzia was leaving behind a country with one of the highest poverty rates in South America. When she arrived in Colombia, however, her circumstances were worse. She was unable to find work or a home, and had to spend her days on the street. Such circumstances began to affect the mental health of her daughter.
This situation prompted her to contact the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the first time. This organization not only helped her daughter recover her emotional well-being through its telemedicine health care service, but also provided her with a card that guaranteed her stay in the country.
Action to Get the Reaction
Nunzia met other compatriots in similar circumstances, who introduced her to the Community Health Network (CHN). This organization provides direction and instruction to enable fellow Venezuelans to obtain necessary medical care and take proactive measures to protect their health and well-being. There, she began to collaborate and help minors, immigrants and refugees, eventually leading a branch of the organization called Liderando Esperanzas (Leading Hopes). The mission: enhancing vulnerable people’s mental health in Colombia.
As part of the Liderando Esperanzas network in Cali, Nunzia found a supportive community that aided her integration into Colombian society. She gained health care skills to support other individuals in similar situations and the larger community, and became one of the 700 CHN leaders who work in 18 departments nationwide. They conduct activities on mental health, dispelling myths and emphasizing community-driven strategies like World Suicide Prevention Day, which involved 6,000 participants across 18 departments in Colombia.
Concerning Data
It is very important to stress mental health awareness in Colombia. The 2015 National Mental Health Survey (NMHS-2015) shed light on the prevalence of mental health disorders among adolescents in Colombia. Among those aged 12-17, a noteworthy 7.2% reported having experienced some form of mental health disorder at some point in their lives.
Even more alarming, the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) showed that 12.2% of adolescents exhibited symptoms of depression or anxiety. After the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, these issues worsened due to armed conflict in Colombia. Thus, enhancing vulnerable people’s mental health in Colombia is more important than ever.
These statistics serve as a stark reminder of the pressing need for robust mental health support and interventions tailored specifically for this vulnerable demographic. It underscores the imperative for society to prioritize mental health initiatives, ensuring that young individuals receive the care and resources they require to navigate the challenges they face.
Cases like that of Nunzia and the organization Liderando Esperanzas show the importance not only of mental health awareness, but also of helping those who have fewer resources. It is important to raise awareness about this issue among not just citizens, but also public institutions and organizations that can dedicate resources to helping the population by enhancing vulnerable people’s mental health in Colombia.
– Christian Teruel
Photo: Unsplash
The UN Initiative: Ending Child Marriages by 2030
Child marriage is any formal marriage or informal union involving a child under the age of 18. Child marriage, or any marriage without the full and free consent on both ends of the marriage, has received international recognition as a violation of children’s rights. Ending child marriages is essential to protect children from violence, death and other challenges.
The marriage of children occurs all over the world, and the reasons differ from culture to culture. It has roots in gender inequality and the belief that girls and women are inferior to boys and men. Child marriage highly affects girls. About one in every five women aged 20 to 24 get married before their 18th birthday, compared to one in every 30 men. A lack of education, poverty, harmful cultural social norms and practices and insecurity have made the problem worse. Luckily, the UN Initiative is working towards ending child marriages.
How Does Child Marriage Cause Harm?
Twelve million girls marry before the age of 18 every year. That averages out to 23 girls every minute. Girls involved in child marriages are more likely to suffer domestic violence, contract HIV/AIDS and have a higher death rate during pregnancy and childbirth. Child marriages also have negative economic impacts, which can lead to intergenerational cycles of poverty.
Girls who are at the greatest risk of marrying early often experience isolation from their family, friends and communities. They are typically poor and live in rural areas.
The UN Initiative and How it is Helping
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set include global plans for 2030 that aim to protect the environment, tackle poverty and improve lives. UNICEF aims to protect millions of vulnerable girls around the world from child marriage, and hopefully put an end to child marriage by 2030.
When child marriages do not persist, girls are more likely to reach their full potential. Putting a stop to this practice is vital to achieving gender equality, improving maternal and newborn health and improving economic development.
According to UNICEF, tackling this issue requires recognizing factors like poverty and poor access to education and health care. Factors like these enable child marriages; however, the reasons for this practice vary from culture to culture. UNICEF’s plan focuses on 12 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East where child marriage rates are high. UNICEF reports that 45% of child brides live in South Asia, while 20% are in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Initiative’s Objective
The initiative’s objective goal is to enlist families, communities, governments and young people to help prevent girls from marrying too young, by empowering girls who are at risk as well as supporting the girls who are already married. The program follows four proven strategies:
Over the last decade, there has been a global drop in the number of child marriages, showing that ending child marriages is possible. In 2006, one in four women aged 20 to 24 was married as a child, in contrast to today’s number, which has fallen to one in every five women.
Ending child marriages around the world will not only save many young girls’ lives, but will also help the economy and promote gender equality.
– Paige Falk
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