Diamonds Aren't A Girl's Best Friend
Posted by simplisticthoughts , Saturday, May 14, 2011 8:48 PM
I have sat down to write this blog on several occasions but have turned away multiple times because how do I put such a serious issue into words that ward off the trendy "pick-a-cause" types or in the most important sense; how do I convince people that by their consumerism into this market, is indirectly or even directly contributing to the death and enslavement of many? This market I speak of is the diamond market. America consumes over two-thirds of the diamond market, yet most of its mining is done overseas. Many of us remember the hit movie "Blood Diamond" starry Titanic hunk Leonardo DiCaprio- the movie was attempting to shed light and awareness to the conflict diamond struggle in Sierra Leone in 1999. As with any Hollywood political piece, it has its impact on a few, but many times its never enough to create real change. Especially since Hollywood itself is about as diamond hungry as the rest of the world. So we see movies such as these, perhaps shed a tear at the thought of such atrocities, maybe even feel a little shame and remorse but for the majority, it stops right there.
Awareness was first brought international in 1999, when Sierra Leone was in a civil war between the government and war rebels know as the R.U.F. (Revolutionary United Front)- both were at war against one another for power. The R.U.F. would go into villages dismembering or killing people to prevent people from voting, getting involved in politics or who would not comply with their orders, including women and children!
They would force able bodied men to mine diamonds day and night, they even had to use the toilet right where they worked. If they tried to escape or stop for a break, they would be shot. The R.U.F. would also kidnap young children from the villages forcing them to become child soldiers. These 8 and 10 year old kids would be forced to commit heinous acts of violence towards their own people. The R.U.F. would use these diamonds for funding of their war efforts, usually trading diamonds for weapons. Diamonds were smuggled into Liberia where they would get bought and mixed with the "clean" diamonds. Once conflict diamonds are intertwined with other diamonds, there is no way of sorting them out. When the U.N. got wind of what was taking place, action started to take place. De Beers diamond company was placed under investigation and the Kimberley Process was put into effect. This process attempts to certify the origin of a diamond to ensure it does not come from a conflict zone. The problem is that it isn't one hundred percent effective. And the Kimberley Process only investigates diamonds that are purchased from war rebels in conflict zones, it does not cover government's who use forced slave labor to mine. Which an organization called the Human Rights Watch is working towards adding slave labor imposed by governments as part of the process. Sierra Leone is at peace today and yes, there are processes and certifications to help ensure that the diamond you are purchasing is not a conflict diamond. But as long as there is a market in the first place, there will always be conflict diamonds! 
