I mean, it's not just one company, is it? But it is less than than millions, so your point probably still stands.
Forcing anyone to do anything is pretty hard though. The U.S. government can lean on U.S. companies, but will that really save the child miners? Will they all suddenly not be forced into this type of labor if the U.S. companies stop using their services? Those kids will suddenly all be enrolled in school and grow up to be business owners, doctors, nurses, engineers, all using cell phones powered by some much more ethically obtained energy storage device?
I feel the same when I think about how bleak this all is, but this could be one part of a multipart solution. No, it's not going to magically fix everything wrong with the global economy. But we have to think about things like corporate responsibility and legal consequences for companies that use this material. I suppose I bear some responsibility for not fully researching the mineral sources of each piece of electronics I buy, but the simple act of meeting consumer demand is not morally neutral. Putting legal pressure on companies to not use material mined by children could be helpful (with the usual caveat wrt the devil & details.)
Forcing anyone to do anything is pretty hard though. The U.S. government can lean on U.S. companies, but will that really save the child miners? Will they all suddenly not be forced into this type of labor if the U.S. companies stop using their services? Those kids will suddenly all be enrolled in school and grow up to be business owners, doctors, nurses, engineers, all using cell phones powered by some much more ethically obtained energy storage device?
I must be feeling down today. Sorry about that.