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The Issue
Conflict has engulfed eastern Congo for over a decade in a silent war. According to the International Rescue Committee, the conflict has already claimed the lives of over 5 million civilians and is estimated to have a mortality rate of 45 thousand per month resulting from famine, preventable disease, displacement, killings, and sexual violence.
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One particularly important driver of the ongoing conflict lies in the economic incentive fueled by a multi-million dollar trade in conflict minerals - four to be exact: tin, tungsten, tantalum, or the 3Ts, and gold that are found in almost every consumer electronics product.
Why Should My Campus Be Conflict-Free?
The Conflict-Free Campus Initiative is a nation-wide campaign to build the consumer voice for conflict-free electronics – cell phones, laptops, and other devices that do not finance war in eastern Congo. It draws on the power of student leadership and activism to encourage university officials and stakeholders to commit to measures that pressure electronics companies to take responsibility for the minerals in their supply chains, which have been contributing to the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.
By encouraging your university to publicly support the conflict-free movement, you will not only send a message that you as an individual consumer demand that your electronics products are conflict-free but also demonstrate that demand through a collective, institutional voice. Universities are also a large client for most electronics companies and represent a large section of the buyers' market for consumer electronics. By raising our collective voice as consumers, we can actually bring about a shift in corporate and government policy and help bring peace to Congo.
Make Your Campus Conflict-Free
Enough has developed a toolkit that gives students all the information they need to develop an effective campaign. The first section gives some background on the conflict in Congo and where the conflict-free movement stands today. We then provide a range of possible outcomes for your school's resolution, and a resource guide for more information.
- Learn more about the initiative (PDF)
- Mapping Your Resolution (PDF)
- Resource Guide (PDF)
Ready to get started?
Download STAND's Conflict-Free Campus Advocacy Guide (PDF) for a step-by-step framework for mobilizing your campus in support of conflict-free minerals.
Ready to take Conflict-Free Resolutions a step further?
How about conflict-free cities or states? Conflict-free congregations, clubs, communities? The more groups that demand conflict-free electronics, the faster we'll see companies engage in a process to ensure that our products are free of Congo's conflict minerals. Email us to find out how to get started, and check out Jewish World Watch's Conflict Free Congregations Toolkit.
Keep Us Informed
- Are you working to go conflict-free? We want to know! Keep us informed by emailing Raise Hope for Congo at congocampaign@enoughproject.org
