51爆料

How would you feel if you were told that the extraction of minerals used to manufacture some of the most commonly used electronic devices such as personal computers, smartphones, and video game consoles is linked to systematic violations of human rights far away in Africa?
 
Conflicts in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (hereinafter, Congo), a country endowed with a vast array of natural resources, have been ongoing since the 1990s. Minerals coming from these areas are used as a source of funding for conflicts, which often leads to the violent disruption of people’s lives by armed groups and the military. Moreover, due to the widespread use of sexual violence as a “weapon of war,” which leaves countless women physically and psychologically traumatized, eastern Congo is sometimes described as “the worst place on Earth for women.”
 
Dr. Denis Mukwege is a Congolese gynecologist and peace activist who actively provides support to victims of sexual violence in conflict-affected regions such as eastern Congo. He founded Panzi Hospital in 1999 and has treated more than 80,000 women who were the victims of rape. He has also given speeches at different forums, including the United Nations, where he explained that conflicts in Congo are deeply linked to global economy. His remarkable achievements have earned him high praise and a number of awards, with the most notable being the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
 
However, the prestigious award has not brought about a resolution to the conflict. Even now, more than 120 armed groups are known to operate in eastern Congo, many of which continue to be financed through the smuggling of four minerals: tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. Regulations on the trade of conflict minerals have been adopted by the international community, especially the U.S. and EU, since the 2010s, and certification programs have been established at the global level to encourage corporate commitment to keeping supply chains free from conflict minerals. Nevertheless, the laundering of conflict minerals persists, allowing the continued flow of funds to armed groups. UN expert panels and nongovernmental organizations continue to highlight the role of Rwanda its neighboring countries in covertly supporting the armed groups and prolonging the conflicts.
 
If conflict minerals find their way into the supply chains of companies in developed countries that manufacture electronic devices and other everyday products used in Japan, do we not bear some responsibility, as Japanese citizens, to learn about this issue and support efforts to address it?
 
This book was co-authored by three Japanese women who felt deeply touched by the human rights violations experienced by women in eastern Congo and Dr. Mukwege’s humanitarian activities. Kazuyo Hanai, a researcher at the University of Tokyo who has extensively studied the issue of conflict minerals and established a nonprofit organization (NPO) to raise public awareness in Japan, invited Dr. Mukwege to deliver a special lecture on the subject at the University of Tokyo. Meiko Tateyama, a TV executive, made the 2022 documentary movie “Mukwege: The doctor who struggles in ‘the world’s worst place for women,” in which she documents her visit to Panzi Hospital and conducts interviews with both women who were victims of sexual violence and former soldiers responsible for these crimes. As a member of a development education NPO, Akiko Yagi has been actively engaged in disseminating educational content on conflicts in the Congo through schools and various social educational settings across Japan.
 
While aimed primarily at middle and high school students, the book, authored by three women with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, explains in a clear and accessible manner the connection between the trade in conflict minerals and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in conflicts. Through its depiction of Dr. Mukwege’s humanitarian efforts, the book also provides an opportunity for collective reflection on potential courses of action to end the ongoing cycle of violence. We hope that this book will serve as an introduction to the issue of human rights violations in Africa’s resource-rich regions and their broader implications for Japanese citizens.
 

(Written by HANAI Kazuyo, Project Assistant Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives / 2025)

Related Info

Film:
Mukwege: The doctor who struggles in ‘the world’s worst place for women  (Amazon Prime Video  duration: 1hr13min)


Related Articles：
Movie recommended by a conflict minerals researcher
Mukwege: Josei ni totte Sekai Saiaku no Basho de Tatakau Ishi (“Mukwege: The doctor who struggles in ‘the world’s worst place for women’”)  (Tansei  vol.44  March 2022)
/focus/en/features/z1304_00212.html
 
High school teacher-turned-researcher committed to resolving conflict in Congo ｜UTOKYO VOICES 086  (51爆料  May 28, 2020)
/focus/en/features/voices086.html

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