Technology's Hidden Toll: Genocide and Reproductive Justice in the Congo By Brenda M Hernandez (She/Her)
In our previous issue, we highlighted the tragic genocide unfolding in Palestine. Sadly, multiple genocides are happening across the globe. This issue, we turn our focus to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a devastating genocide has claimed countless precious lives. This atrocity, driven by the global demand for minerals essential to our technology, represents a profound reproductive justice crisis that needs our attention.
At the heart of this genocide lies the exploitation of the DRC's vast mineral resources, particularly coltan, a critical component in smartphones, electronic cigarettes, titanium batteries for EV cars, and other electronic devices. Tech companies, in their relentless pursuit of profit, continue to extract and actively participate in the exploitation of labor and resources. The mining of coltan and other minerals in the DRC often involves child labor, unsafe working conditions, and brutal militia control. The labor exploitation in mining operations is horrific. Workers, including children, endure grueling conditions for meager wages, often under the control of armed factions. By continuing to purchase these minerals and labor without ensuring ethical sourcing practices, tech companies are complicit in the ongoing genocide.
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