Eastern Congo’s Armed Conflicts Fuel a “Modern Slavery Hub,” Survivors Describe Exploitation

Eastern Congo faces a growing modern slavery crisis (image source)

In the mineral-rich provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), decades of armed strife have morphed into a human-trafficking crisis, trapping civilians in forced labor camps, artisanal mines, and sexual bondage under armed group control.

An estimated 407,000 Congolese live in modern slavery—4.5 per thousand of the population—according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index. This figure excludes child soldiers, whose recruitment by over 100 armed factions is widely documented in North Kivu, Ituri, and South Kivu.

In 2021, authorities identified 155 victims of forced labor, with cases spanning agriculture, domestic service, and cobalt and gold extraction. Survivors report working 16-hour shifts in mines with no contracts or safety gear, their harvest of ores sold to global tech supply chains. A 2019 lawsuit against major electronics firms alleged child labor in DRC cobalt pits, but was dismissed in 2021, spotlighting corporate impunity.

An artisanal miner in South Kivu, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described militias posting guards at mine entrances to prevent escape. “They say we owe them a debt,” he said. “But we never borrowed money—we are their captives.”

Forced sexual exploitation, involving at least 86 identified victims in 2021, thrives where lawlessness reigns. Reports reveal aid workers trading food rations for sex during the Ebola outbreak, and families coerced into marrying off daughters to combatants to “protect” them. Human Rights Watch documented rapes by both government troops and armed groups, underlining the weaponization of sexual violence amid the state-of-siege in North Kivu.

“Women and girls are caught between gangs,” said a local activist. “They face rape if they flee, and forced marriage if they stay.”

Children as young as 10 are pressed into service by the M23 rebel group and FDLR militias. These boys carry arms, cook, and serve as porters; some are killed in frontline clashes. Displacement compounds risk, as refugees in Uganda and Burundi report abduction attempts by trafficking rings promising security and schooling abroad.

Conflict has eroded governance, leaving vast resource wealth under militia control. FairPlanet’s 2024 analysis traces a shift from war-time abductions in the 1990s to today’s organized criminal cartels profiting from mineral trafficking and human bondage. “The business model has evolved,” notes FairPlanet. “Armed groups use mining revenues to fund operations and buy weapons, perpetuating the cycle of abuse.”

Despite a 2022 national action plan on human trafficking and a free hotline, government response ranks just 36 percent in effectiveness. Under the Criminal Code, trafficking and forced marriage are punishable, but prosecutions are rare, and courts are hindered by intimidation. Meanwhile, global demand for “conflict minerals” sustains these networks.

Marie-Claire, 19, was sold into domestic servitude in Kinshasa after fleeing militia violence. “I thought I would find safety,” she said. “Instead I was locked in a house, beaten, and told I belonged to the boss.” She escaped with aid from a local NGO and now advocates for fellow survivors.

“We need more than laws,” she told said. “We need enforcement, and we need companies to stop buying blood minerals.”

As the UN prepares to draw down its remaining peacekeepers, Congolese and international advocates warn of a vacuum ripe for traffickers. Calls for a binding “due diligence” regime on mineral imports grow louder, alongside demands for demilitarized community zones and reintegration programs for child soldiers. Without decisive action, eastern Congo’s communities risk becoming permanent victims of a modern-day slavery enterprise.