Paper/Proposal Title

Collisions at the Intersection: Intersectionality of Labor Trafficking, Trauma, and the 'Resource Curse' Phenomena within the Cobalt Mining Industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Presenter/Author Information

Patrick L. Kerr, West Virginia UniversityFollow

Location

M2225

Start Date

11-2-2023 5:00 PM

End Date

11-2-2023 6:15 PM

Keywords

labor trafficking; cobalt mining; Democratic Republic of the Congo; trauma; resource curse

Abstract

First proposed in the early 1990s, the “resource curse” phenomenon describes situations in which countries/regions that are resource-abundant- e.g., metals, minerals- are economically outperformed by countries that are resource-deficient. The resource curse concept also commonly refers to situations in which resource-rich developing regions/countries suffer rather than flourish because of exploitative, extractive industries perpetrated by resource-deficient countries. Rooted in colonialism, this phenomenon has been identified across industries in several African nations. Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a prominent example. Although DRC’s cobalt deposits were discovered in 1914, the past decade has introduced a new surge in demand for this mineral. Recent expanded uses for cobalt have contributed to a cobalt boom in DRC. This has included mass adoption of high-demand consumer technology products that are produced using cobalt components- e.g., smartphones- and increased demand for emerging “green technology”- e.g., electric vehicle accessories, solar power systems/batteries. As with any resource boom, increased resource demand has contributed to increased demand for labor. Rapidly developing single-resource economic cycles often increase risk for labor exploitation, including labor trafficking of adults and children. There is growing empirical evidence of labor trafficking related to cobalt mining in DRC (Sovacool, 2021). The individual and communal trauma of labor trafficking represents one hypothetical mediator in the relationship between resource curse and resource booms. Recent research (Yilanci et al., 2022) has found that DRC may be uniquely vulnerable to the resource curse phenomenon for cobalt mining relative to other cobalt-abundant nations that are less adversely affected- e.g., Canada, Cuba. This paper describes unique vulnerabilities of DRC to resource curse effects. A model of differential risk mediated by labor trafficking prevalence is presented; and empirical evidence supporting and negating this model is described. A public health-oriented human rights framework for intervention and prevention is proposed.

Author/Speaker Biographical Statement(s)

Dr. Patrick Kerr is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Charleston Campus, where he directs the WVU Behavioral Science and Psychopathology Research Division, and the WVU Dialectical Behavior Therapy Services Program. Dr. Kerr specializes in the treatment of suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury, mood disorders, PTSD, and the sequelae of human trafficking. Dr. Kerr’s work in the human trafficking field has also included authoring multiple peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on the intersection of culture, gender, and trauma in the experience of human trafficking survivors. A contributor to national human trafficking initiatives in the US, he was a member of the inaugural HEAL Trafficking Train-the-Trainer Training class (2019), and served as a contributing editor to the development of the HEAL Trafficking Protocol Toolkit for Developing a Response to Victims of Human Trafficking in Healthcare Settings. He has conducted human trafficking trainings regionally and internationally. Dr. Kerr has served as a member of the West Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force since 2016, including service on multiple task force training initiatives.