title: Conflict Minerals in Electronic Systems: An Overview and Critique of Legal Initiatives.
abstract: The Democratic Republic of Congo has vast natural resources, many of which are regularly exploited by the electronics industry. Unfortunately, in addition to these resources, there are widespread human rights abuses committed by armed groups entrenched in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These armed groups are using profits from these minerals as a source of funding. Their human rights abuses have led to a growing humanitarian interest in the region and prompted the international community to action. This paper explores the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, provides an understanding of the link between human rights abuses and conflict minerals, and interprets and critiques the legal actions of the international community.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA. jjameson@calce.umd.edu.
authors.forename: N Jordan
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9840-6516
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Jameson
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Director of Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE), University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pecht
mesh_terms: D003223:Congo; D004581:Electronics / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D045809:Human Rights Abuses / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D008903:Minerals / Q000592:standards* / Q000600:supply & distribution
chemical_list: D008903:Minerals
keywords: Conflict mineral; Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); Dodd-Frank regulation; Electronic system; Electronics