Blood Diamonds

Written by: Josh Malyon

INFOS:
Blood Diamonds are also known as “Conflict Diamonds” and are usually produced in areas controlled by rebel forces or corrupt governments. The rebels use violence to force men, women and children into slave labour to mine the diamonds. The diamonds are used to purchase arms and fund their military actions.

Countries most Affected: Angola, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Liberia, Congo

The Kimberly Process was adopted by the World Diamond Congress in 2000 to strengthen diamond industry’s ability to block sales of conflict diamonds. BUT, while it may ensure the diamonds do not finance civil wars, it does NOT ensure the diamonds are:

Free of human rights Abuses
Environmentally responsible
Ensure fair labor practices

Kimberly Process Pros:
“The Kimberley Process attempted to curtail the flow of conflict diamonds, help stabilize fragile countries and support their development. As the Kimberley Process has made life harder for criminals, it has brought large volumes of diamonds onto the legal market that would not otherwise have made it there.”

Kimberly Process Cons:
“The Kimberley Process has ultimately failed to stem the flow of blood diamonds, leading key proponents such as Global Witness to abandon the scheme.[34] In addition, there is no guarantee that diamonds with a Kimberley Process Certification are in fact conflict-free. This is due to the nature of the corrupt government officials in the leading diamond producing countries. It is common for these officials to be bribed with $50 to $100 a day in exchange for paperwork declaring that blood diamonds are Kimberley Process Certified.”

“During the 1990s and the first decade of this century, hundreds of thousands of people were killed in wars fueled by diamonds, across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia and Sierra Leone. Even today, blood diamonds from the Cote d’Ivoire, eastern DRC, and Zimbabwe continue to enter the market. Furthermore, many diamonds, even conflict-free diamonds, are cut and polished in sweatshop conditions, often by children, for wages that are inadequate for even the most basic standard of living.”

“The Kimberly Process is allowing conflict diamonds into the market. If your jeweler can’t tell you where your diamond was mined, they can’t guarantee it’s conflict-free.”
(www.ingleandrhode.co.uk)

 RESOURCES:
www.globalwitness.org
www.amnestyusa.org
www.diamondfacts.org
http://www.materialytics.com/

MEDIA:
The Ambassador (2011, Danish/English/French, 93 min); a Danish journalist poses as a European ambassador to look at Africa's blood diamond trade.

Ed Zwick's motion picture Blood Diamond (2006), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou. The film helped to publicize the controversy surrounding conflict diamonds and led to worldwide awareness of the Western African involvement in the diamond trade.

SOLUTIONS:
Diamond-rich areas were discovered in Northern Canada in the 90s and are working to combat conflict mining in Africa! See Partnership Africa Canada:  http://www.pacweb.org/en/

You can also buy lab-created diamonds or moissanite, which appear the same as regular diamonds but can be certified conflict free. These two options, especially moissanite, are also much more affordable.