Thread by @copticml

What is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩 and why you aren’t hearing about it (a thread).

Congo is home to 60% of the world’s coltan, which is a mineral used in our cellphones, laptops, etc. Companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla use this mineral in their products and children are the face of labour & exploitation for mineral extraction.

Children are forced to work in mines mainly to dig and wash minerals. In these environments, they are reported to have experienced harassment and sexual abuse. They are also exposed to Radon which is a substance that has been linked to lung cancer.

When children are injured or have died in the mines, they are left there with no justice and no compensation to their families. Ever since the boom of the tech industry, mineral extractions have resulted in the death of millions and environmental destruction in the DRC.

In the past 10 years, 5 million people have died as a result of conflict minerals, that is a genocide. Currently, surrounding countries have been prompted by the US and France to send their military into the DRC to take territories where these mines are located.

This has only caused more death. Congolese individuals deserve better than a life plagued with suffering and exploitation. There is nothing ethical about tech companies extracting resources and minerals for profit.

In 2019, a lawsuit against Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla was made by families from the DRC who accused the companies of aiding and abetting forced labour that resulted in the death of their children working in the mines. All of these cases were dismissed by a US court judge.

Obviously, these companies are complicit in what has been happening in the DRC and justice has never been served because they are protected by an inherently corrupt system. May the people of Congo be free from exploitation, war, and what the West has done to their country.

This is just devastating.

https://twitter.com/Poulin2012/status/1538119022042132481