JD Stier 

JD Stier worked with the Obama Administration on youth issues and now works to help break the links between minerals used in electronics and human trafficking in the Congo. In a presentation at Chico State’s annual STOP Human Trafficking week, he explains the link between these minerals from the Congo and the kidnapping of African boys to be soldiers and African girls to be slaves and prostitutes. These are among the horrendous human rights abuses in the Congo as the result of a deadly war among militia groups. The area is rich in minerals, and they are sold – to be used in our jewelry and electronics – to fund the sale of weapons to continue the war. Stier leads the Conflict-Free Campus Initiative, in which students in over 150 college campuses have organized programs and pressured their administrations to adopt policies for preferential treatment of tech companies that do not purchase these “conflict minerals.” During his presentation, Stier shows a film in which NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers urges students at the University of Wisconsin to join the cause. 

Recorded: April 17, 2014