Working towards child labour free artisanal mining operations

To prevent children from working inside artisanal cobalt mines, the FCA works with local cooperatives and civil society to establish effective controls and monitoring mechanisms to identify cases of child labour and prevent children from working inside their operations.

In accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and children’s rights experts, we are, however, not promoting a mere ban of child labour from artisanal sites but advocate instead for the full remediation of child labour cases, placing the child’s physical and mental welfare at the centre of our efforts.

To prevent and mitigate the occurrence of child labour inside the artisanal mining sector in the long term, we need to address its root cause: widespread poverty. Consequently, the FCA focuses on 1) improving working conditions in artisanal mine sites and 2) promoting the economic diversification of the region, both with the goal of increasing household incomes. Understanding that next to economic development, a cultural change needs to occur, the FCA began implementing a long-term campaign to remediate child labour on mine sites and in the mining communities around them.

Supporting Children in Cobalt Mining Communities: A Collaborative Effort

At the heart of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s cobalt-rich Kolwezi area, children face the harrowing realities of working in artisanal mines. The Hub for Child Labour Prevention and Remediation (The Hub), created by Save the Children, the Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA), and The Centre for Child Rights and Business, is making impactful strides to protect and rehabilitate these children.

The CLR Hub provides a lifeline—offering access to education, health, psychosocial support, and a safe future. With partners like Maison Kwetu and Maison Mapendo, the program is already changing lives, helping children like Jean*, who faced unimaginable hardships in the mines, reintegrate into school and begin healing.

Explore how The Centre for Child Rights and Business and its partners are pioneering sustainable solutions to tackle child labour and empower vulnerable children. Read more about this vital work and how businesses can help protect children’s rights in mining communities.

Learn more about The Hub here.

Building a scalable and replicable child labour remediation mechanism

Led by FCA member Save the Children, we focus on building the capacity of local partner organisations such as Maison Kwetu to co-develop and manage an integrated child labour remediation mechanism. This case-management system takes the individual circumstances of the child in question into account, enabling access to primary and secondary education as well as medical and psychological support. Understanding that youth, 15 years and older, are most likely to seek employment inside the mines, the FCA is aiming to increasingly provide access to vocational training, internships and job opportunities.

Enhancing school enrollment into primary and secondary education.

School Electrification Project

The Signify Foundation project with the objective to install solar panels and distribute solar libraries at schools, one marketplace and one soccer field in the Kolwezi neighbourhoods of Kasulu and Kapata, was kicked-off late 2020. In collaboration with the provincial minister of Energy, the Mayor of Kolwezi and the Division of Education, 10 public schools, concerning 6000 pupils were selected and approached for the project. After putting significant effort into discussing with local authorities, gathering information, and sorting through applications, we have officially selected the schools that will receive the panels. After some delays, equipment is currently being shipped to locations. The school electrification project is for the benefit of teachers, pupils and their families, primary and secondary schools Kasulu and Kapata.