Unheard Voices - Mining activities in the Katanga province and the impact on local communities

“Electronics companies are expected to respect human rights down their supply chain and thus make sure that the metals that are used in their products have not been extracted by mining companies that have no respect for human rights and the environment”, says Esther de Haan from SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations), the coordinator of the European makeITfair campaign.

According to Emmanuel Umpula Nkumba, Director of the DRC Human Rights organisation, ACIDH: “Compensation should not only take into account the costs of the land and houses, but also displacement costs and reimbursement for lost earnings, as well as reimbursement for leaving your land. Only one of the companies consulted the communities, and none of the five researched companies put enough effort into informing the communities properly, asking for their consent in matters concerning their land, families and communities. The issue of free, prior and informed consent is important.”