Conflict minerals that are used in making cell phones are financing the civil war in the Congo where 5 million people have been killed and 300,000 women have been raped

Source: bloodinthemobile.org:

The main part of minerals used to produce cell phones are coming from the mines in the Eastern DR Congo. The Western World is buying these so-called conflict minerals and thereby finances a civil war that, according to human rights organisations, has been the bloodiest conflict since World War II: During the last 15 years the conflict has cost the lives of more than 5 million people and 300.000 women have been raped. The war will continue as long as armed groups can finance their warfare by selling minerals.

If you ask the phone companies where their suppliers get minerals from, none of them can guarantee that they aren’t buying conflict minerals from the Congo.

The Documentary Blood in the Mobile shows the connection between our phones and the civil war in the Congo. Director Frank Poulsen travels to DR Congo to see the illegal mine industry with his own eyes. He gets access to Congo’s largest tin-mine, which is being controlled by different armed groups, and where children work for days in narrow mine tunnels to dig out the minerals that end up in our phones.

After visiting the mine Frank Poulsen struggles to get to talk to Nokia, (1 in 3 mobile phones are made by Nokia) the Worlds largest phone company. Frank Poulsen wants them to guarantee that they are not buying conflict minerals and thereby is financing the war in the Congo. Nokia cannot give him that guarantee.

Blood in Mobile is a film about our responsibility for the conflict in the Congo and about corporate social responsibility.

click to watch the trailer

If you want to learn more about conflict minerals,
the film can be viewed on LinkTV’s website in its entirety.

U.S. legislation leading the way [source: Care2.com]

Section 1502 of the Dodd Frank Act, signed into law July 21, 2010, adds extra reporting requirements on Form 10-K, Form 20-F or Form 40-F to the U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) on the sources of “conflict minerals.”

A California State Senate Bill 861, authored by Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett would ban the California Department of General Services from obtaining contracts with companies using Congo’s conflict minerals. The bill passed out of an Assembly committee a few weeks ago.

“This legislation will help cut off the cash flow, and support, for lawless militias engaged in heinous human rights violations,” Corbett said.

If you want to learn more about conflict minerals, the film can be viewed on LinkTV’s website in its entirety.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/the-blood-in-our-cell-phones.html#ixzz1SkDdToAk