AIMING FOR A CONFLICT-FREE CAMPUS

AT UD

The Democratic Republic of Congo

• According to the International Rescue Committee, “Congo is the world’s least developed country in terms of life expectancy, education, standard of living and key health indicators, like maternal and child mortality.”

• The ethnic and political violence of the Second Congo War, which ended in 2003, resonates today as the DRC as a result of continued dispute over conflict minerals.

What is a CONFLICT-FREE CAMPUS?

A campus that supports companies’ efforts to

clean their supply chain of conflict minerals from the

DRC

A campus that does not indirectly

support an oppressive regime

A campus that is not complicit in

the oppression of women

A campus that does not ignore the

impact it can make on the live of

millions of Congolese

Armed Forces

• Armed groups use violence to achieve political, ideological, and economic dominance.

• They are not sponsored by the DRC’s state government.

• They include: – Rebel movements (i.e. M23 and LRA)– Ethnic militias (i.e. Mai Mai Militias)– Economic & Military entrepreneurs (i.e. CNDP)

Violence Against Women

• Armed group use rape as a weapon of submission, systematically defining sexual violence as acceptable not only in war but in civilian life.

• 1100 Women are raped every day.• Access to medical and psychological help is

limited as a result of negative perceptions surrounding rape victims.

Impact on the Congolese

• The DRC is the most impoverished country in the world, with the average citizen earning only $400 annually.

• The International Rescue Committee estimates over 3 million deaths have occurred due to violence since 1998.

• Armed groups control mineral mines to fund their violence. They staff these mines by enslaving men, women, and children.

What are the CONFLICT MINERALS?

GOLD, TIN, TANTALUM, AND

TUNGSTEN

What are they used for?

• Electronics Products!– Tungsten- used in light bulb filaments and heating

elements– Tin- used to connect elements in circuit boards of

laptops and cell phones– Tantalum- used for capacitors and resistors in cells

phones. “The smarter your phoneis the more Tantalum it has.

– Gold- used in coating and wiring electronic connections

What does the Conflict-Free Campus Initiative do?

We are going to ask the University’s Board of Trustees to pressure the

companies that we, as a college, do business with to stop taking minerals from conflict mines in the Democratic

Republic of Congo.

What can you do to STOP THE VIOLENCE?

•Sign and encourage your friends to sign our petition!•Photograph your friends with a “I support a conflict-free campus” sheet and send it to us!•Be informed! Ask us questions or go to:

www.raisehopeforcongo.org enoughproject.org

•Like us at Conflict Free at UD on Facebook and follow @UDSTAND on Twitter

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

supports the

Conflict-Free Campus Initiative

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