In the south of Congo, informal systems of child and slave labor are flourishing under the rubric of the creuseur—a French term frequently translated as “artisanal digger.” Using primitive tools like hammers and chisels, creuseurs frequently mine for cobalt with their bare hands. Some of these workers are children as young as six or seven years old—there are forty thousand children working in this industry—each making around the equivalent of a single US dollar per day.
