HAMBATAN DALAM UPAYA ELIMINASI PEKERJA ANAK DI TAMBANG ARTISANAL KOBALT REPUBLIK DEMOKRATIK KONGO (2014-2019)

Abstrak

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the obstacles in efforts to eliminate child labor in artisanal cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) using qualitative research methods. This study uses the theory of dependency, the concept of Multinational Cooperation, and the poverty traps to figure out the causes of obstacles. Dependency theory explains that DRC dependence arises as a consequence of economic integration into the global capitalist system. DRC is responsible for becoming a periphery country—fulfilling the interests of semi-periphery and core countries. DRC is the world's largest artisanal cobalt extraction site with an abundant composition of cheap labor and rampant child labor practices. This dependence is strengthened by the presence of multinational companies, such as CDM and Huayou Cobalt. Furthermore, these conditions are capable of perpetuating extreme poverty in DRC. Poverty traps are here to analyze the relationship between persistent poverty and the phenomenon of child labor in the DRC, specifically in the cobalt belt region (Haut-Katanga and Lualaba Provinces).

Keywords: Cobalt Child Labor, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dependency, Multinational Corporation, Poverty Traps