An excavator in use during exploration for nickel ore, a critical component used in electric vehicle batteries, on Wawonii Island in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded $22 million to groups in Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to combat China’s reliance on labor abuse as a way to control global critical mineral supply chains.
Human rights organizations, researchers, and government agencies have documented extensive labor rights violations in the two countries, according to the department.
