Can the U.S. keep conflict minerals from Congo out of your laptop?




Latitude News show

Summary: Here’s the basic plot line: that electronic gadget you’re using to listen to this story? Chances are, it’s connected to the war in Congo. Laptops, smart phones, tablets—they all need the rare minerals that Congo has in abundance. And that means that our gadgets are helping to fuel child labor—and rape—on a colossal scale. It’s a long journey from here to there, and it’s complicated. But lawmakers in the U.S. want to leverage our consumer power to bring change to the Congo. The question is: Do they stand a chance of making a difference?