Juliane Kippenberg

Associate Director, Children's Rights Division HRW. Child rights & mining, corporate accountability, environment. Based in Berlin.

[Allan Ngari @justrutz]

Profits up. Justice delayed. As Joyce, 15, from says: “Children in #Kabwe also have dreams…we want to have a bright future.” Yet families affected by mining pollution in #Zambia are still waiting for accountability. On #WorldEnvironmentDay read more https://t.co/wgc6uOyfX2

[Makanday Media Centre @MakandayMedia]

World Environment Day: Zambia’s Mining Pollution Victims Need Justice

Mining Should Not Come at the Expense of Human Rights

By Juliane Kippenberg

Mining pollution has been a fact of life for 15-year-old “Joyce” as long as she can remember. Joyce, whose real name is different, lives in the Zambian city of Kabwe, where mining for lead and zinc began during the British colonial period and continued for decades. Extracting minerals from the mine’s lead waste continues. As a result, Kabwe is now one of the most lead-polluted places globally: up to 200,000 people—particularly children—are exposed to lead, and many suffer from lead poisoning.

Today, June 5, is World Environment Day. The Zambian government commemorates this day with radio and TV shows, public events, and activities. One poster calls on citizens: “Be part of the solution, not the pollution.” But this rhetoric has not translated into tough action on the companies that pollute.

In Kabwe, South African, Chinese and local businesses have been extracting and processing zinc and other minerals from the former mine’s toxic lead waste, risking the health of residents. The government has issued mining and processing licences for these companies, some of which are led by ruling party officials or have otherwise been linked to the ruling party.

In the Kanona area of Serenje district, workers at a manganese plant have suffered severe and chronic health problems from manganese exposure. The foreign-owned company has reportedly offered housing to some affected workers. However, despite campaigns by activists and a 2025 parliamentary visit, concerns about pollution and worker protection remain unresolved.

In the Copperbelt, the 2025 dam breach at a Chinese-owned copper mine, Sino Metals, caused the release of toxic waste into the Kafue River, putting residents at grave risk of cancer and threatening the livelihood of millions. The government has downplayed the risks and allowed Sino Metals to resume operations. The company has apologised.

These environmental disasters are taking place in the context of a global rush on “critical minerals”—minerals like copper, manganese, and zinc -- needed for the energy transition, digitalization, defense, and other purposes. China, the United States, and other industrialized countries have been ramping up efforts to access minerals in Zambia and other mining countries. But the global rush for minerals should not turn into a race to the bottom at the expense of people’s health and the environment.

Residents in mining areas are no longer standing by while companies pollute their land, water, and air. Last September, a group of Zambians filed a lawsuit against Sino Metals, demanding compensation. And in April, Kabwe residents filed a complaint with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the African Union child rights body, alleging that the Zambian government had failed to protect them from the harm of lead mine waste. The complaint reflects the aspirations of many affected children. Their demand is simple: a healthy environment, accountability, and a future free from toxic pollution.

Joyce from Kabwe is among those supporting the African Union complaint. Speaking at the launch event, she called for an environmental clean-up of Kabwe and declared, “Children in Kabwe also have dreams. … we want to have a bright future.’”

Juliane Kippenberg is children’s rights associate director at Human Rights Watch.

Photo | Children play on contaminated ground, exposed to lead through everyday activities. In Kabwe, ordinary childhood experiences carry extraordinary risks. © 2023 Centripetal Media for Human Rights Watch

#makandayinvestigates #EnvironmentalJustice #HumanRightsWatch #WorldEnvironmentDay #ZambiaMining See less

[Alliance For A Lead-Free Kabwe @LeadFreeKabwe]

15 year old Joyce (not real name), has been a victim of Lead contamination in Kabwe. A city that has been in a state of pollution since the colonial period.
Read more about Joyce and the plight of Kabwe residents in this article:
https://t.co/aI4OY1R9ju

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

In Zambia and beyond, victims of mining pollution need justice. This #WorldEnvironmentDay, we are putting the spotlight on the environmental disasters in Zambia putting children's futures at risk.

https://t.co/XiZsE2G2IK

[Alliance For A Lead-Free Kabwe @LeadFreeKabwe]

Kabwe is considered one of the most polluted places in the world, following decades of Lead and zinc mining that continues to affected generations of children in Kabwe.

Watch full video here: https://t.co/BYLan9gfwc

[Joey Shea @joey_shea]

🚩NEW: @HRW report finds Colombian private military contractors transited through UAE military bases ad received military training before being deployed to Sudan to support the abusive RSF 👇

https://t.co/4DoZiFKim0

[Human Rights Watch @hrw]

In Liberia, only 17 percent of children complete grade 9, and 1 in 3 children never attend school at all.

In a new report, HRW documents that mandatory fees—despite a legal guarantee of free and compulsory education for grades 1 to 9—place a heavy financial burden on families and violate children’s right to education.

Read more from HRW: https://t.co/vyEbxmY11v

[IHRDA @IHRDAfrica]

We, IHRDA, Keepers Zambia Foundation, Environment Africa Zambia & Conservation Advocates, call for urgent action to protect children from toxic mining environments across Africa.
From Kabwe to communities across the continent, children’s rights are at risk.
Accountability. Remediation. Justice.
#ChildRights #EnvironmentalJustice

[Alliance For A Lead-Free Kabwe @LeadFreeKabwe]

JOINT STATEMENT- Alliance for a Lead Free Kabwe and Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) @IHRDAfrica
Read statement here: https://t.co/6LN6yMzR0B

[Alliance For A Lead-Free Kabwe @LeadFreeKabwe]

Great article in Monkanday today.
Read here:
https://t.co/22CEBIM3JC

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

AU Petition Over Kabwe Lead Crisis Piles Pressure on Zambia Ahead of Elections

https://t.co/EKXbLQZQyE via @MAKANDAY

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

Happening now:
15-year-old Blessings from Kabwe, Zambia describes what it means to live in a severely lead contaminated town, at event launching a complaint by ⁦@IHRDAfrica⁩ against Zambia.
#leadfreekabwe

https://t.co/E2EJk8eddg

[IHRDA @IHRDAfrica]

IHRDA has filed a case before the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child @acerwc over ongoing lead poisoning of children in Kabwe, Zambia.
Children continue to suffer irreversible harm despite decades of warnings. “Children cannot continue to pay the price for inaction.” — Dr Musa Kika, IHRDA #Kabwe #ChildRights
Read the PR: https://t.co/DC0ruqdgDu

[IHRDA @IHRDAfrica]

⏰ Starting in 1 hour
Join our panel:
Protecting Children from Toxic Mining Environments – Spotlight on Kabwe 🇿🇲
📍 Maseru | 💻 Online
Register on Zoom: https://t.co/9g99hls47D
Watch the Livestream: https://t.co/LT6l5t9sWX
#ChildRights #EnvironmentalJustice

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

‼️Important development on toxic lead contamination in Kabwe, Zambia‼️

Today, a complaint has been filed before the AU child rights body @acerwc on behalf of children exposed to toxic lead from a former mine in Kabwe.

#LeadFreeKabwe

https://t.co/V2cvBZoS3f

[Alliance For A Lead-Free Kabwe @LeadFreeKabwe]

For generations the people of Kabwe have endured the harmful effects of lead poisoning. This week @IHRDAfrica and @hrwwill spotlight the case & call for justice.

Register to attend online here: https://t.co/0LlW7NLhBU

[IHRDA @IHRDAfrica]

Panel: Protecting Children from Toxic Mining Environments

Kabwe is not an isolated case — across Africa, children are exposed to toxic pollution from mining.

Join the conversation. Demand accountability. Protect children’s rights.

Join us virtually on Zoom. Pre-registration required: https://t.co/P8nhyzg0Sz
Watch the live stream: https://t.co/Iu8oUdKEMn

@justrutz @hrw @KippenbergJ @LeadFreeKabwe

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

Toxic lead from a Zambian mine has poisoned generations of children. This week @IHRDAfrica @hrw will spotlight the case & call for justice:

PANEL: Spotlight on Kabwe
🗓 16 April 09h00 – 10h40 with @likemike0077 @justrutz & Kabwe resident

Join online https://t.co/q6JxcVgQLy

[Juliane Kippenberg @KippenbergJ]

Toxic lead from a Zambian mine has poisoned generations of children. This week @IHRDAfrica @hrw will spotlight the case & call for justice:

PANEL: Spotlight on Kabwe
🗓 16 April 09h00 – 10h40 with @likemike0077 @justrutz & Kabwe resident

Join online https://t.co/q6JxcVgQLy

[Jo Becker @jobeckerhrw]

The number of out-of-school children has risen for 7 years in a row, reaching 273 million. A proposed free education treaty could push countries to act. My new dispatch:
https://t.co/NfCOCJSfwf