According to Siddharth Kara, author of Cobalt Red, children are systematically trafficked into the Democratic Republic of the Congo's cobalt mining industry through organised militia networks. Militia groups known as "commandos" allegedly abduct, traffic, and recruit children from regions hundreds of miles away from the copper-cobalt mines. These children are forced to work in extremely hazardous conditions, earning as little as one or two dollars per day – money that ultimately funds the militia groups controlling them. Children represent the most vulnerable and heavily exploited demographic within the illegal mining operations, often working in toxic environments where they directly handle cobalt, a substance that is "toxic to touch and breathe," while receiving minimal compensation. The exploitation persists despite the technical illegality of these operations, as government corruption allows these abuses to continue unchecked. A 2020 US Department of Labour report noted that despite the Democratic Republic of the Congo's mining code prohibiting Child Labour, enforcement is severely hampered by the mining ministry's lack of labour inspectors and financial resources. The report identified only 20 active labour inspectors for the entire mining sector, with some receiving as little as US$5 per month in salary, making them highly susceptible to bribery. Furthermore, according to research by Amnesty International, government officials frequently accept bribes to ignore illegal mining operations and Child Labour violations. Their 2016 report documented how mining police (PMH) extort illegal miners rather than enforcing regulations, demanding payments of 1,000-5,000 Congolese francs (US$1-5) to allow miners to access sites or to avoid arrest.