Laptops, cell phones fueling rape and war in the Congo?
November 19, 2009
World Vision recently endorsed the Conflict Minerals Trade Act, a House bill introduced by Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington state, to stop the trade in conflict minerals such as coltan, tin ore, gold, and wolframite -- which are fueling a humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The bill, if passed, would be a critical first step in helping U.S. consumers feel confident that their high-tech purchases are not funding violence against women and children in the eastern DRC, where some 1.5 million people are currently displaced by a decade-old conflict being financed by the mining and sale of these minerals.
'Knowledge and power to make a difference'
"This bill would begin addressing the trade in conflict minerals, which has been funding a war marked by widespread rape, child soldiering, and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises," said Rory Anderson, World Vision's deputy director for advocacy and government relations.
"Americans deserve to know whether the electronics they buy are fueling bloodshed in Africa. This legislation would help give consumers that knowledge -- and the power to make a difference every time they go to the electronics store."
Certified 'conflict-free' products
World Vision also emphasized that the proposed legislation would benefit the electronics and software industries by providing a certified mechanism to label their products as "conflict-free." To qualify for the label, companies would be required to purchase their coltan from audited, conflict-free processing facilities.
"We saw from the success of our 'conflict diamond' campaign a few years ago that American companies want to do the right thing," Anderson added. "They also understand that their customers demand products that can be certified as conflict-free. But without a uniform process, such as the one proposed in this legislation, it's very difficult for companies to tackle the supply chain challenge on their own."
World Vision's response in eastern DRC has reached some 150,000 people since October 2008 with medical supplies, emergency food and non-food items, and training and activities to promote the protection of women and children, including Child-Friendly Spaces within displacement camps.
Help now
Please keep in prayer the children and families displaced or otherwise affected by ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pray that decision-makers here in the United States would recognize the Conflict Minerals Trade Act as a positive step toward curbing the sale of high-tech products that fund violence against women and children in the DRC.
Donate now to World Vision's Congo Refugee Assistance Fund. Your gift will help us continue to provide life-saving support -- such as emergency food, shelter, cooking materials, mosquito nets, and more -- to those left displaced and vulnerable by conflict in the DRC.