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Written question asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench) on Monday, 4 December 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 December 2023. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Monday, 18 December 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Children

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Lord Benyon on 30 November (HL Deb cols 1172–1174), what assessment they have made of the (1) health impacts, (2) developmental damage, and (3) risk of sexual assault, that may arise for children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of cobalt mining.

Answer

The use of child labour in artisanal cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains a serious problem. We regularly raise the issue of child labour in DRC's mining sector with both the DRC government and through multilateral fora such as the Human Rights Council. We also raise concerns about gender-based violence in DRC. The UK was the first country in the world to require businesses to report on the steps they have taken to tackle modern slavery. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses with a turnover of £36 million or more to report annually on steps they take to prevent modern slavery in operations and supply chains. We are also committed to addressing the developmental impacts of illicit mining on children, and have provided funding to the Effective Approaches to Ending the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Fragile Contexts consortium, to develop innovative approaches to ending child labour in DRC.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL797
Session
2023-24
Related items
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Children Armed conflict Health Forced labour Mining Offences against children Democratic Republic of the Congo Cobalt
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk