Working Conditions Report
One ethical concern about cell phones is that in some ways they are helping to fuel deadly conflicts in Africa. This is especially true in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is a major producer of tin, gold, tungsten, and other metals important to the creation of a cell phone. According to the article “The Price of Precious,” the Congo has been in a near-constant state of war since the 1990s. Different rebel groups have seized different parts of the country. Once in control, they often force locals to work for them in the mines. The rebel groups then use the money they receive for the metals from the mines to fund their fight against the government. They often use brutal tactics, killing civilians indiscriminately, raping women, burning villages, and forcing children to become soldiers. According to the United Nations, about 5 million Congolese have died since the beginning of the conflict. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20 Another concern is that many people who