The Cost of Cobalt has worked exclusively with leading NGO, pact, to have candid conversations with four former child miners about their experiences in artisanal cobalt mines in the DRC.
Here's what Nadège had to say...
Hello! My name is Nadège Kalenga Ilunga and I am 16 years old. I am from a family of 6 children (including 4 girls), and I started going to the mines in 2014, because my father was unemployed and my mother, who is a farmer, was unable to generate enough income to cover the needs of our entire family. I picked up minerals and sometimes served in a restaurant. In 2020, I was sensitised by a member of the Musompo Neighbourhood Committee; at first, I refused to leave the mine, but then I changed my mind.
What was it like working in the mines?
I don't have any good memories of the mine; all are bad ones. I don't even like to be reminded of this time. I was working under dangerous and unhealthy conditions, exposed to fatal injuries or illnesses. You know, I saw two children die from lung infection. Most children in the mines are really dirty; very few are clean. It all depends on what kind of work you do. Miners must work long hours in the dark and in a damp environment, they need to deal with a number of hazards which are not to be found in many other workplaces, including sickness, sexual relationships and infections.
How did working in the mine make you feel?
I felt very bad working in the mines. My entire body was sore at the end of the day. We were slaves to the adults who sometimes beat us if we didn't do as they asked. I was also very scared because some men wanted to sleep with me despite my age. They told me that I was a pretty woman and if I agreed to go out with them, they would give me a lot of money and take care of me.
What was an average day like working in the mine?
A day in the mines for me means going around looking for money to get food, body lotion and clothes. Each day started with heavy work that made me tired. When I took a little rest, it was to think about my future: I wasn't at school like all other girls of my age and I was just going to become illiterate.
How do you think the issue of child labour can be addressed/changed?
The Congolese government must strictly prohibit child labor in the mines and send children to school. Unfortunately, sometimes, it is the authorities who hire us, as an easy and cheaper labor force.
Pact and other organisations and churches have to help children, sensitise them and give them the money for which they go to the mines, as they love money. The government and NGOs should build training centres for adolescents and give school supplies to those who want to go back to school.
What are you doing now that you’ve been through the program? What new skills have you learnt and what are your plans for the future?
As you see me in uniform, and as you were told at home, I went back to school. I am now in the 3rd year of secondary, specialising in Education/Pedagogy. After school or on Saturdays and Sundays, I continue to sew clothes as I was fortunate enough to be trained during six months in tailoring. This enables me to earn between 30, 000 and 40, 000 FC per day. I have saved 30,000 FC which I have entrusted to my mother. This money helps me fix my sewing machine if a piece is broken and pay my 35,000 FC school fees/term.
I dream of becoming a great teacher, but also a seamstress in a large workshop in the village.