March 17, 2017
I am a Campus Organizer for the Conflict-Free Campus Initiative which is a student led movement at universities across the United States that promotes the enactment of policies that favor the purchase of verifiably conflict free products on college campuses. I have talked to hundreds of students on my campus about this issue and many of them are shocked that their cellphone is contributing to violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As responsible consumers, hundreds have signed the petition to demand that our university favor the purchase of conflict-free electronic products.
The conflict-free movement is important to me because my cellphone or laptop is not worth a human life. The Congolese deserve justice and they deserve peace. I urge you to keep the Conflict Minerals rule fully intact and continue with its enforcement so my university and the students on my campus can keep pressure on electronic companies to remain transparent on their conflict mineral sourcing practices.