Children as young as seven are being exploited to mine for materials used by Microsoft and other tech giants, human rights activists believe.
Amnesty International has today demanded that Microsoft carries out a full investigation, claiming that investigators found youngsters being horrifically treated.
The charity alleges that children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are toiling for 12 hours a day in cobalt mines in order to source metals used to make computer products.
They are not even given gloves or masks to protect them from toxic dust, it is claimed, putting their health at serious risk.
In testimony released by Amnesty International, a 14-year-old named Paul, who started working in mines when he was 12, said: "I worked in the mines because my parents couldn’t afford to pay for food and clothes for me.
"There is lots of dust. It is very easy to catch colds. We hurt all over."
Amnesty claims it has studied public records to discover that cobalt mined in the DRC is used by some of the world's biggest tech companies.
After sharing its concerns with these electronics giants, it says Microsoft has taken "little action", despite its competitors responding to the allegations.
A statement said: "After raising our concerns, some companies we spoke to have taken steps to investigate their supply chains and have helped by publishing lists of their cobalt smelters and refiners in line with international standards.
"However, none are doing enough to stop human rights abuses in their supply chains. None have said they’ll help improve the situation for those harmed by their operations.
"Although the price of cobalt has soared, the miners have seen none of the benefits.
"In all this Microsoft are still sitting on the fence, and have taken little action. This is simply not good enough for one of the world’s largest electronics companies.
The activist group has launched a campaign calling on Microsoft to investigate, and to remedy any harm suffered by people whose human rights have been abused.
Mirror Online has contacted Microsoft for comment.