A man on bended knee opens a small, velvet box that contains a diamond ring. The woman weeps with joy and responds with a resounding yes! It is this image we’ve seen in countless commercials and magazine ads with familiar quotes such as, “A diamond is a gift that keeps on giving” or “A diamond is a girl’s best friend”. These are some of the first images and thoughts that run through our minds when diamonds are mentioned.
Now imagine a man sitting peacefully in his home who without warning is attacked by a heavily armed militia. With no way to fight back and no local police to help him, the man is forced into slavery, toiling in the sun under brutal conditions from his captors. All that he works for is handed over to his captors, and is used to finance the very guns that keep him and the people around him paralyzed. This situation continues until one day without warning, the man is shot and killed by the militia. In his hand is the diamond which a young man will lovingly give to his bride to be as portrayed in the previous scenario. This is the world of conflict diamonds.
A conflict diamond is by definition, a diamond which finances insurgent or invading armies. Diamonds have been used to fund civil wars in Angola, the Congo, and Liberia as just a few examples. The details of how this occurs are found in the situation explained in the paragraph above. As a result of possible civil disputes between different ethnicities, government upheaval through military coups, as well as a variety of other reasons, a conflict or war begins in said areas. The insurgent group, who is usually the minority of the country, takes over villages and towns by killing those who have power, enslaving the rest and forcing them to work in diamond mines. The captives are forced to work under extremely harsh conditions, where survival is a day to day struggle. In some situations, young men, some of whom are mere children, not even 10 years of age, are taken from their homes, and subsequently brain-washed into becoming soldiers for the insurgent groups. The mined diamonds are then sold to a middle man with connections to the diamond industry. He will then smuggle the diamonds out of the country and sell them to a “reputable” highest bidder. The payments come in the form of cash, but on also may come as weapons and gifts.
Perhaps surprisingly, the largest opposition against the import and export of conflict diamonds came from members of the diamond industry. In 2000, some of Africa’s leading diamond producing countries gathered in Kimberly, South Africa to document a process that would be used to verify the origin of a diamond. As a result of this meeting and the subsequent follow-up meetings, the World Diamond Council was created, and many of the processes of purchasing and selling diamonds were transformed. The mandate set to this council is “the development, implementation and oversight of a tracking system for the export and import of rough diamonds to prevent the exploitation of diamonds for illicit purposes such as war and inhumane acts.” Additionally, they instituted the Kimberly Process, which is a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to curtail the flow of conflict diamonds to finance wars against legitimate governments. This process was approved by the United Nations in 2002.
Reports estimate that up to 20% of diamonds mined in the early 1990’s had been used for the funding of illicit activities. It was also reported, that of these, 15% of diamonds were known to have been derived through conflict. The United Nations began to take action in the late 90’s, starting with the sanctioning of Angola prohibiting them from selling diamonds to any country. It was the first resolution to specifically name and forbid the use of conflict diamonds as a means to funds for war. Angola had been in civil war from the beginning of its independence in 1975 until 2002 with much of the funding for both factions being derived from conflict diamonds. After the sanctioning of Angola, conflict diamond trade has dropped to 3% according to a World Diamond Council report in 1999 and by 2004 was reported to be 1%.
As a result of reading this article, you can now make the effort to become aware of the origins of the diamonds you may potentially purchase. While it may seem as though this is a crisis that has ended, in reality, war still occurs in many African countries. You have the opportunity to make a difference and fight injustice in the world by being cognizant of the realities that occur daily. For some, this means fighting legal battles in the courtroom, for others, it means asking a simple question about the origins of the purchases you make in a jewelry store.
|
THE ONE CAMPAIGN
Make Poverty History |
 |
home | about | events | the globe |
magazine
| get involved
