Catholic Social Teaching
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops state that while extracting precious resources, human dignity must not be violated and the environment must be protected. These collection industries can bring progress, but they are widely overdone. This causes social conflict, corruption, removal from homes and land, polluted waters, and rapidly decreasing health. The most prominent problem in these areas is health. The Catholic Church advocates that every person has human dignity, which is the idea that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death. Human dignity is not represented in most cases because workers are treated terribly and are payed little or nothing for the immense volume of work they do.
Another main struggle that occurs is the fighting between governments and their people for the resources. Added along with the miserable working conditions, this makes for a very low quality of life. Raging wars often take over the strength and lives of the workers, which ultimately leads them to a life of slavery.
Conflict mineral mining in The Congo also violates the Catholic Church's teachings because it leads to women being sexually abused and forced to bear children after rape and prostitution. Even though they sell sex to survive, often they do not make enough money to keep themselves healthy and are in constant danger of death and disease, as with their children as well.
Another main struggle that occurs is the fighting between governments and their people for the resources. Added along with the miserable working conditions, this makes for a very low quality of life. Raging wars often take over the strength and lives of the workers, which ultimately leads them to a life of slavery.
Conflict mineral mining in The Congo also violates the Catholic Church's teachings because it leads to women being sexually abused and forced to bear children after rape and prostitution. Even though they sell sex to survive, often they do not make enough money to keep themselves healthy and are in constant danger of death and disease, as with their children as well.