Conflict Mineral: Rise of the Human Right Issue Camouflaged in the Midst of 4.0 Era

Abstract

In modern times, people around the world are enjoying the varieties and the know how of new technologies driven by modernity in the 4.0 era, but how many people are aware of the importance of raw materials used in the manufacture of those fancy objected among the world market place. This academic article is mainly aimed at introducing Thai readers such as academics, entrepreneurs, personnel in mineral processing and the general public to acknowledge the exist of Conflict Minerals. The article addresses and analyzes the definition, history background, policies, laws and regulations related to this issue. The core theory adopted to narrate the notion of human rights inequality hidden underneath the products that people use in daily life is OECD Guidance (The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). This theory focuses on entrepreneurship social responsibility including legal provisions such as EU draft regulation and US Dodd Frank statute (The Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 2010). Those rules of law have been applied as a framework for analysis the conflict mineral situations also future expectations for the development of common practices toward this issue both internationally and in Thailand.

The outcomes of the analysis revealed that despite the determination of policy relating to such issues has been applied not only the international level but also the domestic law in some countries, conflict minerals have continued to be smuggling through various channels in Thailand and in other countries. It is time for the international forum to recognize the existence of conflict minerals and work together to find solutions. To reach that goal, the cooperation across all regions of the world must be implemented by strengthening policy, setting mineral inspection system and accessing to more production processes or strictly enforcing legal tools to bridge that gap.