Addressing Child Labor in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in the DRC

Date and Time

June 18, 2014
8:00 am-9:00 am

Location

Webinar

Topic

Human Rights

The extraction of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and wider African Great Lakes Region is dominated by artisanal and small-scale mining. Artisanal and small-scale mining is labor-intensive and has limited capital, mechanization, or technology but is estimated to provide more than a sixth of global mineral output.

In recent years, increased international attention on the role that these materials can play in financing armed conflict has spurred new corporate strategies and activities around responsible sourcing and sustainable production of 3TG. Holistic corporate engagement on so-called conflict minerals must also address “non-conflict” concerns related to artisanal and small-scale mining, including pervasive child labor.

This type of mining directly involves 20-30 million people and supports the livelihoods for many times that number. Artisanal and small-scale mining occurs in some of the most remote areas in the world, which have limited infrastructure and opportunities for other formal economic activities. Therefore, it can connect rural populations to the broader global economy, presenting the opportunity to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive economy.

Join BSR for a discussion with Pact and Boeing on the importance of corporate engagement in addressing child labor in artisanal and small-scale mining, including findings from BSR’s most recent report on these issues. The webinar will also highlight a new BSR-Pact collaborative initiative that will offer companies the opportunity to engage on reducing the use of child labor in the mining of 3TG in the DRC.