Rep Smith Introduces Bill to Stop Cobalt Mined by Child Exploitation and Forced Labor in Congo from Entering US Market

In a shocking revelation, it has been uncovered that Communist China is exploiting African children to power the ‘Green Economy’. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has introduced legislation (HR 7891) to prevent cobalt extracted or processed with child or forced labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from entering the US market.

China, which processes 90 percent of the world’s cobalt, obtains most of it from China-owned mines in the DRC. Rep. Chris Smith condemned the Communist Chinese government for profiting from child and forced labor in cobalt extraction, calling for the US to stop aiding this exploitation.

The bill, named the Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act, aims to investigate and prevent the use of forced labor in the cobalt mining industry. Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) praised the legislation as a crucial step in blocking materials tainted by inhumane labor practices from entering the country.

Testimony from a congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Chris Smith revealed the hazardous conditions in which Congolese children and forced laborers work to extract cobalt. Fr. Rigobert Minani Bihuzo, a Catholic priest from the DRC, highlighted the exploitation of thousands of children and pregnant women in artisanal mines.

Rep. Chris Smith emphasized the violent and corrupt nature of the cobalt supply chain, urging for action to end the exploitation. The legislation is a response to the atrocities committed in the cobalt mining industry and aims to hold China accountable for its human rights violations.