Apple cracks down further on cobalt supplier in Congo as child labor persists

March 3, 2017 at 11:17 a.m. EST

A boy carries a bag used to transport cobalt-laden dirt and rock at a mineral market outside Kolwezi, Congo, on June 7. A Washington Post investigation found that child labor and unsafe working conditions are part of the cobalt mining process. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Apple said it has temporarily stopped buying cobalt mined by hand in Congo while it continues to deal with problems with child labor and harsh work conditions.

A Washington Post investigation last year detailed abuses in Congo’s artisanal cobalt supply chain, showing how miners — including children — labored in hazardous, even deadly, conditions. Amnesty International and other human rights groups also have alleged problems. Earlier this week, British broadcaster Sky News published an investigation that alleged continued problems in the cobalt supply chain.