The Shabara mine is located near the town of Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is mainly mined there for cobalt, an important raw material for the production of cell phone batteries, laptops and electric cars. The PRC produces about 70% of the world's cobalt, making the country a key player in the global strategic raw materials market.

Both children and adults work in the Shabara mine and the work is done by hand, without advanced technologies and machinery. Conditions in such mines are often very dangerous, illegal and informal. Many adults and children work in near slave conditions. Working days are long, wages are very low ($1-2/day) and workers are often subjected to violence, extortion or abuse by local groups and intermediaries. Extra, they do not have access to protective equipment, which leads to frequent injuries and chronic diseases caused by inhalation of toxic substances.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 40.000 children work in cobalt mines, often in dangerous conditions. Kids, sometimes up to six years old, engaged in informal and manual cobalt mining, using only simple tools such as shovels and buckets. The conditions they work in are reminiscent of forced labor practices.