Did you know that you are likely supporting Childhood slavery — if you’re watching or reading this on a smartphone right now? 

We want to hold HOPE not modern-day slavery in our hand.

So -- rather than launching a campaign focused on finding someone to blame, feeling guilty, or self-righteous, this campaign is more about realizing that since we all contribute to the problem, then we can all contribute to a solution.  

SIGN the petition  and SHARE -- to show that you pledge that if companies will be BOLD enough to make a phone as ethical as it is smart — then you will be BOLD enough to buy it.  

Because, it's true that we need to encourage companies and governments to change the too normalized behavior of making millions of dollars off the suffering of others.  However, — until we the customer pledge to buy better — aren't we in part just as implicit in the problem of bad ethics and economy? 

To better understand how our smartphones contribute to modern day slavery, let’s look at how we got here.  We appropriately learn about the horrors of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, the evils of American Chattel Slavery, and other atrocities.  

We should never try to compare one atrocity to the other, but rather analyze them all to find the circumstances or mindsets that allowed them to happen along with the efforts that finally helped to end them and how their legacy still affects the present.  The more of these horrors we study, then the more we can take action to hopefully finally live up to the promise of “never again.”

One often less talked about genocide that is still directly causing daily devastation — including the slave labor being used to power iPhones and electric technology — is the Belgium Congo Genocide.  

In the late 1800’s Belgium’s King Leopold, a monster similar to Hitler, wanted to colonialize Central Africa, and one invention helped fully fund his conquest.  What was it?  The affordable inflatable bicycle tire was all the rage in Europe, and the Congo was unfortunately filled with rubber vines.  

Leopold’s Army forced natives to gather rubber by a grueling process.  If they failed to meet quota, their families were tortured in front of them; with soldiers bringing back severed hands to prove they hadn't wasted bullets.

Now it's easy to get mad at these Europeans buying tires and wonder did they care that their bike ride was made possible by children getting their hands cut off?  

But, have you ever asked where your smartphone came from — or just like those riding bikes in Europe at the time — ask how much does it cost?

Do you care that the phone you're reading or watching this on right now is likely made with material gathered by children in deadly conditions in the Congo region and elsewhere?    How can this be in 2022?   The simple answer as always — greed. 

Exploitation endures because it's a way for companies to make the most and customers to pay the least.  https://thenativemag.com/congolese-call-end-genocide-natural-resource-cobalt/

Thankfully, there’s been some grassroots efforts to make moral improvements.  In fact, companies like Fairphone do offer a much more moral alternative, but they are not available in the United States currently.   And because people have spoken out about this in the past, corporations like Apple and Android have taken some action, but we’re ready support a phone that as BOLDLY helps improve the world morally as it does technologically.  

We’re ready to be part of a larger movement that doesn’t just take action to “look good” or feel falsely superior to others — but really brings about meaningful ongoing change.  Part of the suggestion for an iPhone-E is for the “E” to truly represent an ETHICAL product – rather than just a “phony” campaign to feel less guilty and increase profit margins even more. 

See, despite laws being passed in one country —  as long as companies can just legally rely on slavery or corruption to make products cheaper elsewhere  —  “out of sight out of mind” —  then it's hurting everyone ethically and economically.  

In other words, if we pass laws to stop local businesses based on ethical or environmental standards in our own country, then we can’t just keep rewarding businesses that violate those same laws in other countries.  

Not only does that reward corruption and injustice elsewhere, it also cripples our own economy as we can’t compete with such unethical methods of profit.  As a result, it lowers the standard of living for everyone except for the owners of businesses engaged in profiting from the exploitation

Likewise, it’s important to remember when we look at these areas labeled supposedly “3rd world countries” – we see a trend that their rich, vibrant history got disrupted by colonialism completely destroying the foundational infrastructure of the culture as happened in the Congo region of Africa by Belgium’s Leopold and other suitors.  This external disruption contributed to the lasting legacy of resource exploitation that continues to leave some of the richest resource places on earth also the most unstable.  In reality, these regions are so rich in materials that they should have booming economies and stability.  So, the effort to end the flow of disfunction is not out of “pity” or “guilt,” it’s because it’s the morally responsible thing to do if we ever are going to see a united world and reduction in pointless sickness, suffering, and sadness.

As a person of faith, I believe God is neither mocked nor deceived. If you're not religious, you'll still appreciate that we reap what we so. Plant seeds of greed — we harvest strife in many forms.  Has it occurred to you that the tragedies we see across our world are largely the  effects of the greed we all manifest?  You can’t ignore that we are either supporting the problem or solution based on how we spend or don’t spend our money daily regardless of what we claim we believe otherwise.

Plant seeds of righteousness — grow more Joy and Peace. 

We can’t even just  blame individuals operating the oppressive mines either,  as more ethical markets would help eliminate extreme poverty that forces individuals living in these controlled areas to choose between being broke or breaking others.    

Better quality of life means higher paying jobs, which will help support buying more ethically made products and break apart poverty traps that generate crime and destruction across our country and world.  In turn, our country’s own economy would improve because of fair trading practices.

I know many people are thinking, no, it's not that simple.   But what if in some ways at least, it is? 

I mean, it's an old world and who knows what we SHOULD be doing? But if we COULD take action, that WOULD make the world better – then let’s do it and lots of it.  

And let’s stop always stopping people’s acts of kindness with “whataboutisms.”  In other words, wait until someone has a positive idea and then instead of helping or staying out of the way — just criticizing everything that’s wrong with their attempts and asking “why do you care about X but not y.”  Another method of deflection is claiming “it’s been tried before and didn’t work.”  Okay, but persistence and adjustment are necessary before finally having a breakthrough. 

Look, no one person can solve all the problems in the world. And yes, there are endless limitations, including that I realize I am using technology right now to share this that is part of the problem.  And yes, the world will never be “perfect.” And yes, people are full of contradictions.   But remember, “perfection is the enemy of progress.”  Continuing to adjust and move forward means that there is no “failure,” rather we “win some and learn some.” 

So sure, signing this one petition or buying one truly ethically made phone won’t solve all the problems, But it will help!  Along with the many other wonderful things all of us uniquely do on a daily basis. As we move forward, our efforts will connect and expand onward. Likewise, check the included links in this article to learn more or simply google “cobalt genocide” or modern day slavery to find much more information on the situation and different ways you can help support those pushing for change.

This petition is also more about simply letting companies know we’re not only calling them out, but we’re also calling ourselves out — and ready to individually and collectively make moral consumerism mainstream in America to better reflect our core values.   

Since everyone uses a smartphone, let’s start there.  Once successful, we can spread that to other technology that depends on cobalt, which is critical as electric vehicles will be no solution for progress if they only magnify the same old tragedy of slavery.  For now,  signing this petition is simply proving that there is a market for ethical products as we’re ready to hold not childhood slavery in our hands, but hope and kindness.   

So thanks for all you do, and if you could please take a moment to share and sign the petition below to simply let companies know that you’re BOLDLY ready to support the iPhone E or equivalent if they will be BOLD enough to make it.

Footage in this video was used from the following source, click here for more information: https://youtu.be/JcJ8me22NVs