10 signatures reached
To: Florida State Senate
Help End the Human Cost of Cobalt in the DRC
As a citizen concerned about the unregulated conditions of cobalt mines, I am writing this to respectfully urge the Florida State Senate to expand the Dodd-Frank Section 1502 to include cobalt as a conflict mineral. Cobalt is a key component found in smartphones, laptops, tablets, and electronic cars, though its extraction specifically in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a source of severe human rights concerns including, unsafe working conditions, child labor, trafficking, abuse, and the exploitation of workers.
The DRC supplies 70 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, and companies have neglected to create a safe environment for workers, many of the tunnels are at high risk for landslides. An estimated 2,000 miners die each year in work related accidents, others face amputations or severe conditions from the toxic fumes they are being forced to breathe in. Over 40,000 of the laborers in these mines are children, many the product of human trafficking who have been taken thousands of miles away from their homes. The children face severe abuse including beatings and starvation and are only being paid $1-2 per day. Many workers have no choice but to return to the mines due to their not being educational opportunities available to them.
Section 1502 of the Dodd- Frank Act has made a significant positive impact on human rights concerns with tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. By making cobalt a conflict mineral, it would require companies to inspect mines for safe mining processes and expose inhumane mining practices. The cobalt industry is expected to rise tremendously in the coming years, by enforcing regulations on practices thousands of lives could be spared.
I hope you will take action that will edit the current bill or create a new legislature that fights to amend this issue. By holding companies accountable for creating a safe environment for their workers we can ensure that workers are not being exploited at our expense.
The DRC supplies 70 percent of the world's supply of cobalt, and companies have neglected to create a safe environment for workers, many of the tunnels are at high risk for landslides. An estimated 2,000 miners die each year in work related accidents, others face amputations or severe conditions from the toxic fumes they are being forced to breathe in. Over 40,000 of the laborers in these mines are children, many the product of human trafficking who have been taken thousands of miles away from their homes. The children face severe abuse including beatings and starvation and are only being paid $1-2 per day. Many workers have no choice but to return to the mines due to their not being educational opportunities available to them.
Section 1502 of the Dodd- Frank Act has made a significant positive impact on human rights concerns with tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. By making cobalt a conflict mineral, it would require companies to inspect mines for safe mining processes and expose inhumane mining practices. The cobalt industry is expected to rise tremendously in the coming years, by enforcing regulations on practices thousands of lives could be spared.
I hope you will take action that will edit the current bill or create a new legislature that fights to amend this issue. By holding companies accountable for creating a safe environment for their workers we can ensure that workers are not being exploited at our expense.
Why is this important?
Children in Congo are descending into a cobalt mines daily risking their lives, so that they have a bed to lay in. There is an estimated 255,000 Congolese citizens working in these mines.
Cobalt is an essential part of our everyday life. It is used in the batteries in our smartphones, laptops, and electric cars, but the convenience of our devices comes at the expense of the wellbeing of others. After copious amounts of research, I believe by advocating for safer mining practices, and an end to the exploitation of miners we can build a future where we don’t have to benefit from the suffering of others.
Cobalt is an essential part of our everyday life. It is used in the batteries in our smartphones, laptops, and electric cars, but the convenience of our devices comes at the expense of the wellbeing of others. After copious amounts of research, I believe by advocating for safer mining practices, and an end to the exploitation of miners we can build a future where we don’t have to benefit from the suffering of others.
Join me on this petition to end the unnecessary suffering of thousands at our expense.