Amnesty International has identified key electronics brands such as Apple and Samsung as not doing the necessary checks to prevent cobalt mined by children from getting into lithium-ion batteries used in their products.

The report, by Amnesty International and African Resources Watch (Afrewatch), an African nongovernmental organization, has found that traders buy cobalt from areas where child labor is rife and sell it to a Chinese mineral company.

The cobalt reaches the technology companies through a complicated route, involving a number of intermediaries. Congo Dongfang Mining and its parent, Chinese mineral giant Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, process the cobalt sold to three battery component manufacturers in South Korea and China, which in turn sell to battery makers that claim to supply tech and car companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Daimler and Volkswagen.

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