Poverty in the DRC

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It does not surprise me in the slightest that an unstable nation such as the DRC would be subjected to such horrors, and that corporations, caring only about their bottom line, would be unsympathetic to these human rights issues. The corporations who use the conflict minerals that fund genocidal groups only care about their profits; common human decency is not enough reason to prompt change for corporations. Government regulations will also not do much to solve this problem, as many corporations bribe politicians in the form of campaign donations. The only way to prevent the use of conflict minerals is to create public awareness. By educating the population about conflict minerals and the problems they pose ethically, corporations can be forced into using only minerals that do not fund rebels. Sadly, this could cause disastrous damage to the Congolese economy, as little more than half of all the DRC's exports are in the from of ores and metals. Poverty in the DRC might be made even worse if their exports of minerals and metals decrease. In this case, it is a lose-lose for the DRC; if mineral exports cease, the nation is brought further into poverty, and if it is allowed to continue then the military conflicts plaguing the nation will simply continue. This nation suffers a problem of not only military conflict, but also a weak government and a history of abusive colonization. A catch-all solution is not possible, and much research and thought must be taken before demanding the end of conflict minerals. Underlying causes of war in the DRC must be addressed, or else the DRC might be destabilized further than it already is.

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