What's been concerning me as of late are conflict minerals. And this is a relatively new and important topic and as Christians, I believe this is important to keep in mind.
So what are Conflict Minerals?
Conflict Minerals are substances such as gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten which are collected, distributed, and sold by means of human rights abuses. These include unethical human enslavement, systematic rape of women, and forcing children to become soldiers all in order to sell minerals at lower and more competitive prices. These occurrences are very common around areas such as Africa, especially in the Republic of Congo.
Once these minerals are collected, they are sold to suppliers who collect such minerals (both fair trade as well as conflict) for trade purposes. Here they end up getting mixed with other minerals from other sources (fair trade and conflict) and are sold to companies all over the world who make electronic devices which people like you and I purchase.
It's identical to the concept of blood diamonds. If you've seen the movie than you know what I'm talking about. If you have not seen it, then I highly recommend it. Thankfully in 2003 the Kimberly Process which has significantly curbed down blood diamond collection and redistribution. But there is no legislation to stop conflict minerals. But progress is happening!
Also, from wikipedia:
Conflict minerals refer to minerals mined in conditions of armed conflict and human rights abuses, notably in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by the Congolese National Army and various armed rebel groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. The profits from the sale of these minerals finance continued fighting in the Second Congo War, and control of lucrative mines becomes a focus of the fighting as well. The most commonly mined minerals are cassiterite, wolframite, coltan, and gold, which are extracted from the Eastern Congo, and passed through a variety of intermediaries before being purchased by multinational electronics companies. These minerals are essential in the manufacture of a variety of devices, like mobile phones, laptops, and MP3 players.
Mines in eastern Congo are often located far from populated areas in remote, insecure and inaccessible regions. A recent study by IPIS indicates that armed groups are present at more than 50% of mining sites. At many sites, armed groups illegally tax, extort, and coerce civilians to work. Miners, including children, work up to 48-hour shifts amidst mudslides and tunnel collapses that kill many. The groups are often affiliated with rebel groups, or with the Congolese National Army, but both use rape and violence to control the local population.
More information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_minerals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_diamonds
How does this affect me?
This effects us as consumers because minerals such as gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten are all very common inside electronic devices. They are necessary in the circuitry of common devices such as cellphones, laptops, video game systems, television, cars, etc. Currently, there is very little regulation so you can't really know if products you buy were made and sold at the expense of human lives.
The Enough Project (http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/getting-conflict-free) has recently released an article outlining 21 companies which have been progressing forward towards freeing their products of conflict minerals. So far the companies that have been putting the most effort include:
1. HP
2. Intel
3. Motorola
4. Nokia
5. Microsoft
6. Dell
By contrast, the companies that have put very little progress include:
16. SanDisk
17. Toshiba
And companies that have put absolutely no visible progress whatsoever include
18. Panasonic
19. Canon
20. Sharp
21. Nintendo
Interestingly enough these last four are all Japanese companies.
Companies which have had some progress but could do better (middle tier) include Apple, Acer, Samsung, LG, Sony, IBM, etc.
Obviously this directly affects us. Buying products made of conflict minerals means that we are indirectly funding and supporting genocide, rape, and child soldiers. And this is entirely unethical.
So what can we do?
On a grand scale, there isn't that much we can do. But there are two important things which we can do which can have a big effect:
1. Support companies which promote fair trade and boycott companies that are silent. Watch what you purchase. Refuse to buy products by companies like Nintendo and Canon until they prove that they are making genuine progress to rid their products of conflict minerals! I know the Nintendo 3DS and Sony NGP are both getting a lot of press now, but please consider the costs and benefits. Cause it's not just costing you money, but it could very well be costing someone's life. Is entertainment worth the possibility of you indirectly funding genocide and rape? Please consider these possibilities and costs and benefits if you still really want to buy a product. Or consider alternatives. Maybe consider an xbox 360 instead of a Nintendo Wii. If you need a new laptop for school, consider a Dell instead of Apple or Toshiba. Get an HP printer instead of a Canon printer. After all, all companies are only making products because we buy them.
2. Spread awareness. Tell your friends, family, and parents. Ask your pastor if they can bring this topic up in church. Write to your local politicians and even lobby for them to make this an important issue (especially for small and/or local businesses). Post links about the Enough Project on Facebook!
No doubt this is a fallen world, and there will always be evil in the world. But the worst thing any of us can do is be absolutely complacent about it. Do what you can to minimize suffering as much as possible. Christ told us to help the poor, orphaned, and windowed. Not only do we have an individual responsibility to friends, family, and God, but we also have a social responsibility of love and justice as well. We as Christians have an ethical responsibility to put our own selfish desires of wanting a new printer of video game system aside and work towards the betterment of humanity REGARDLESS of how futile it may be. Whether or not it works doesn't matter because love NEVER EVER depends on the hope of results. Loving actions happen for the sake of love itself because God loves us. And to be complacent on the issue because it may not "work in the end" is, I argue, absolutely CONTRARY to the message of Christ.
Links:
http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/content/initiatives/conflict-minerals
http://conflictminerals.org/
http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/getting-conflict-free (their study)
