"The batteries of our cell phones, laptops, electric cars, and many other devices require a rare mineral called cobalt. This is a very precious mineral, with over 70% of world production originating in the Congo. Extreme poverty means that working in the mines is a necessity for some Congolese families, who are left with no choice but to send their children to work. The children are found in the hundreds between the ages of 6-17 working in the mines, some working for 12+ hours a day without protective equipment in deep underground shafts around 10 meters long, which they have dug themselves. Other children work on the surface, also without protective gear, collecting minerals that they find, sifting rocks and mine residue, sorting the minerals and then washing them to prepare them for transport. They are only paid 1-2 dollars a day and are exposed to many risks, for example: loss of schooling, fatal mine collapses, injuries caused by accidents, mercury poisoning and illnesses such as...