On paper, it seems that the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has a system in place to detect human rights abuses in the supply chains of minerals like tin, tantalum and gold. In practice, however, few companies are living up to the standards of the law, according to Sophia Pickles of Global Witness.
The law that was introduced in February of 2012 requires mineral mining and trading companies to do due diligence on their supply chains, to ensure the minerals have not funded armed groups or caused human rights violations. However, few companies are actually doing so. Some seem not to be aware of the law, and others choose not to comply. The government, in turn, is not holding them to account.
Read the full article by Sophia Pickles on the website of Global Witness.
