New Blog Post: “Women, Children and Ecoguards at Risk in Democratic Republic of Congo Mines”
November 30, 2021
Published by the Center for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism in McGill University’s Faculty of Law on November 23, 2021.
By: Valentin Migabo, affiliate researcher at the Center for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism at McGill University
Migabo discusses the exploitative and abusive working conditions of those working in the Congo mines. The DRC has adopted various international human rights instruments such as the SDGs and implemented new mining legislation to eradicate inhumane working conditions, particularly against women, including pregnant women and children. Yet, Migabo notes these groups are still made vulnerable to toxic chemicals and oppressive working conditions. Armed militias in the Congo control areas of conflict minerals and resources, but many of these resources are often located in areas of UNESCO heritage sites, and eco-guards get caught in the crossfire. Migabo calls on the immediate protection of women, children, and others whose lives are threatened in conflict zones and by multidimensional poverty.