Congo is taking Tik Tok by storm.
While Tik Tok is an app where 15 second videos are uploaded, mainly based on creativity and humor, the recent attacks on Israel and Gaza have changed its use. While there is still a playful aspect to the app, it is now being used as a platform to inform the public and spread news. This approach had been seen before, but never to the current extent, causing creators to shed light on different issues and seek support from their followers.
One of the issues that has gained significant attention is child abuse seen in Congo, commonly referred to as “a silent genocide”. Child abuse stems from labor needed in cobalt mines, forcing children to join the workforce. This injustice has led many Tik Tok creators to find ways to aid the children while creating awareness of the problem. Some have created music and games within the app, searching for funding. A creator fund is money Tik Tok gives to creators as a reward for driving attention. Many claim to donate the money to the UN and other organizations looking to help. An effect of the spread of child labor in Congo has been the decline in the use of e-cigarettes as a boycott, since cobalt is one of its main exported raw materials.
But what exactly is happening in Congo?
Congo is an extremely rich country in natural resources having mines filled with gold, diamonds, zinc and cobalt. With it comes being home to the largest cobalt export companies in the world, a metal used to make high-end technology, including phones, computers and e-cigarettes. However, while this economic growth should be beneficial for the country, it only benefits a small percentage of the population, leaving the rest of its citizens in inhumane working conditions and extreme poverty while continuously harming the environment.
Congo suffers from political destabilization caused by two civil wars. Contrary to popular belief, war has continued to exist in some regions of the country, particularly in the eastern border. The UN believes the country has gone through rigged elections, high levels of corruption and a continued platform for the military and other armed forces to prey on the civilians. The armed forces have been associated with multiple counts against human rights, including child labor and sexual violence.

McGill University
In order to mine cobalt, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) have taken to recruiting children, mainly from small villages in the eastern border, giving them the opportunity to win money, but prohibiting their attendance to school, a luxury only few of them had before their recruitment.
However, the lack of access to education is only one of multiple hardships these children face. Because the government has failed to protect their youth, the kids are commonly exposed to sexual, verbal and physical abuse while at work. Additionally, workers are directly exposed to Radon, a radioactive mineral commonly linked with cobalt and lung cancer. A substance the children are in direct contact with during mining and when cleaning the metal in diverse bodies of water, particularly rivers. Records show that the DRC is allied with the Regional Certification Mechanism, who has notable international certification protocols, as well as the Dodd-Frank Act, both being institutions placed in order to protect workers from abusive practices in the workplace, proving there is an intention to better worker’s circumstance. Unfortunately because of corrupt practices, including sabotage on scheduled meetings or a notice, companies are still operating, exposing millions to be victims of inhumane practices, including children.

News24
A second concern is the excavation of cobalt. It is extremely harmful to the environment. In mining, one runs the risk of disrupting a habitat and cobalt is not an outlier to this phenomenon. Vegetation, as well as topsoil is removed from their natural placement, leading to heightened levels of erosion. Erosion becomes increasingly dangerous when workers start mining 200 meters below surface level, 170 meters more than the recommended by the Ministry of Mining. Heightening the dangers faced by workers, since it is now not only inflicted by the armed forces but creates the possibility of life threatening accidents.
So how is Tik Tok helping?
While it has spread awareness throughout the world. Many have criticized those reposting videos mostly because a large part of creators have not shown any evidence of donating the money. Leading back to a fundamental problem in social media, is what I am seeing real? And are people posting about the issue because they care or is it simply done in order to be on the “right side of history”? Although awareness has been achieved there is no evidence that the children’s reality is changing.
Comments