The world’s rush toward "green" energy has a dark secret: millions of Congolese children are enslaved in cobalt mines so foreign corporations can profit from electric vehicles. While Western nations boast about reducing carbon emissions, their supply chains run on the blood of African children. This is modern colonialism, rebranded as sustainability.
The Cobalt Slave Trade
Over 40,000 children as young as 6 years old work in Congo’s cobalt mines, digging with bare hands for less than $2 a day. Cobalt is essential for lithium-ion batteries in:
- Tesla cars
- Apple devices
- Samsung phones
- VW, BMW, and Ford EVs
These children endure:
✔ Tunnel collapses (hundreds buried alive yearly)
✔ Toxic exposure (cobalt dust causes lung disease)
✔ Sexual exploitation (girls abused by mine guards)
✔ Forced labor (trafficked from villages)
Why Congo? Why Children?
Congo holds 70% of the world’s cobalt, making it a goldmine for tech and auto giants. But instead of wealth, Congolese get:
- Poverty wages (miners earn 0.75–0.75–3 per day)
- Mass graves (uncounted deaths in unregulated pits)
- Foreign plunder (China & Western corps control mines)
Tesla, Apple, and Glencore (largest cobalt trader) all source from these mines.
The Hypocrisy of "Ethical EVs"
Western governments mandate electric vehicles to "save the planet" while ignoring:
✔️ Every Tesla battery requires ~15kg of cobalt (mined by children)
✔️ EU & US laws don’t ban child-mined cobalt (lobbyists blocked regulations)
✔️ Recycling is a myth – Less than 5% of EV batteries are recycled
Who Profits?
- China – Controls 80% of Congo’s mines through shady deals
- Tech/Auto Giants – Tesla, Apple, VW, Samsung all use Congolese cobalt
- Politicians – Pretend "green energy" is ethical while taking mining lobby money
What You Can Do
- Boycott unethical EVs – Demand child-free cobalt batteries
- Protest automakers – Tesla, VW, and BMW shareholders ignore this crisis
- Spread awareness – Share videos of Congo’s child miners
- Support ethical tech – Fairphone is the only company auditing cobalt
The Bottom Line
Your "clean" electric car runs on child slavery. Until corporations are forced to change, "green energy" is just colonialism with a marketing budget.
