They include Apple, Google’s  parent company Alphabet, Microsoft , Dell and  Tesla.

A US-based non profit organization called International Rights Advocates is handling the case involving 14 families in the DRC.

Six of them have children who died in tunnel collapses.

Children from the other eight suffered severe injuries including paralysis.

The US district court in Washington, where the case has been filed,  will hear that the children were in fact part of a system of forced labour.

This is the first time tech-companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt.

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