IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 531 

Expressing concern over the prevalence of hazardous working conditions for 

children, especially the worst forms of child labor in the mining of 

cobalt and other minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 30, 2019 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself and Mr. FORTENBERRY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing concern over the prevalence of hazardous working 

conditions for children, especially the worst forms of 

child labor in the mining of cobalt and other minerals 

in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Whereas the Department of Labor has reported that the 

worst forms of child labor have been exploited in the extraction and processing of cobalt ore in the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo (DRC) and these activities are in 

violation of international standards; 

Whereas the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimated that 40,000 children work in mines in the former 


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•HRES 531 IH 

Province of Katanga, DRC, including in the cobalt sector; 

Whereas the DRC continues to be the world’s leading source 

of mined cobalt, supplying more than 64 percent of global 

cobalt production in 2018; 

Whereas for their economic survival, families often encourage 

children to work, including in the mining sector; 

Whereas cobalt is a strategic and critical mineral used in numerous diverse commercial, industrial, and military applications, for which demand is growing; 

Whereas Amnesty International found major electronics and 

electric vehicle companies are still not doing enough to 

stop human rights abuses entering their cobalt supply 

chains; 

Whereas key stakeholders, especially industry groups, trade 

associations, and private companies, have an individual 

responsibility to identify, prevent, and take action to halt 

hazardous and working conditions in their cobalt supply 

chains, and to conduct due diligence with the aim of reducing child labor and improving working conditions in 

artisanal mines and in the broader cobalt supply chain, 

thereby respecting human rights, avoiding contributions 

to conflict, and advancing sustainable development; 

Whereas, in August 2017, the Government of the DRC issued 

a strategy on child labor in which it pledged to end child 

mining by 2025; and 

Whereas countries and companies that utilize cobalt have a 

responsibility to work with the Government of the DRC 

and actors in their supply chains to support actions to 

raise awareness, build enforcement capacity, and improve 

monitoring and remediation at the national, provincial, 


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•HRES 531 IH 

and local levels with the aim of enhancing the capacity 

of private and public sector entities to eliminate the worst 

forms of child mining by 2025 and preventing the extraction, supply, and trade of minerals from exploiting children or contributing to other human rights abuses: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses concern over the prevalence of the 

3 hazardous, and especially the worst forms of, child 

4 labor in the mining of cobalt and other minerals in 

5 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); 

6 (2) urges the Secretary of State, the Adminis7 trator of the United States Agency for International 

8 Development, and the Secretary of Labor to identify, 

9 assess, and evaluate the United States commercial 

10 recipients of cobalt derived through child labor and 

11 for-profit or nonprofit entities that benefit indirectly 

12 or directly from the commercial use or trade of such 

13 cobalt; 

14 (3) calls on the Secretary of State, the Admin15 istrator of the United States Agency for Inter16 national Development, and the Secretary of Labor to 

17 coordinate with key stakeholders, particularly indus18 tries which utilize or trade in cobalt, and engage pri19 vate multinational corporations, multilateral organi20 zations, and the nongovernmental organization com21 munity to jointly establish an entity or other assoVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:47 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR531.IH HR531

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•HRES 531 IH 

1 ciation with the Government of the DRC, such as 

2 the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals 

3 Trade, to partner in developing and implementing 

4 plans to reduce child labor and improve working 

5 conditions in cobalt mining in the DRC; 

6 (4) calls on the Secretary of State, the Admin7 istrator of the United States Agency for Inter8 national Development, and the Secretary of Labor to 

9 develop a strategy and action plan, such as in the 

10 Harkin-Engel Protocol for the Growing and Proc11 essing of Cocoa Beans, in partnership with the Gov12 ernment of the DRC and the entity or other associa13 tion outlined above in paragraph (3) to take steps to 

14 end the worst forms of child labor in cobalt mining 

15 by 2025 by— 

16 (A) removing child labor in the extraction 

17 of cobalt, including in artisanal and small-scale 

18 mining, and replacing exploitive artisanal min19 ing with other forms of sustainable, productive 

20 economic activity to address local needs and 

21 support their reintegration into their commu22 nity; 

23 (B) ensuring that no minerals, including 

24 cobalt, that are produced with the use of the 

25 worst forms of child labor, in whole or in part, 


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•HRES 531 IH 

1 are utilized in any aspect of any company’s 

2 business operations, products, or supply chain, 

3 and mitigating and eliminating the presence of 

4 any child-labor-linked minerals that companies 

5 detect in their supply chains or business oper6 ations; 

7 (C) conducting due diligence on the source 

8 and custody of such cobalt, in accordance with 

9 the 5-step due diligence process outlined in the 

10 Organization for Economic Co-operation and 

11 Development’s Due Diligence Guidance for Re12 sponsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Con13 flict-Affected and High-Risk Areas; 

14 (D) recommending actions to ensure that 

15 sources of cobalt are compliant with restrictions 

16 on the worst forms of child labor laws; 

17 (E) ensuring that efforts to end child par18 ticipation in cobalt mining are properly devel19 oped, robust, fully implemented, and monitored, 

20 and that training is provided to those respon21 sible for executing these activities and to those 

22 enforcing labor laws in mining areas for the 

23 Government of the DRC; 

24 (F) supporting the entity or other associa25 tion outlined above in paragraph (3) in 


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1 partnering with the Government of the DRC to 

2 create a public-private system for routine in3 spections of artisanal mines; 

4 (G) reporting to government regulatory or 

5 law enforcement authorities, as applicable, all 

6 cases, instances, or information indicating a 

7 reasonable risk of linkages between child labor 

8 and the production, sale, or use of minerals; 

9 and 

10 (H) making publicly available findings 

11 based on a joint assessment of the Government 

12 of the DRC and third-party organizations out13 lined in this paragraph; and 

14 (5) encourages the United States Trade Rep15 resentative to assess developments in the cobalt and 

16 other extractive sectors of the DRC when conducting 

17 annual reviews mandated under the Africa Growth 

18 and Opportunity Act and the Generalized System of 

19 Preferences (GSP) program. 

Æ 


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