"Good Morning, this ain't Vietnam still
People lose hands, legs, arms for real
Little was known of Sierra Leone
And how it connect to the diamonds we own
...when I know of the blood diamonds
Though it's thousands of miles away
Sierra Leone connect to what we go through today
Over here, its a drug trade, we die from drugs
Over there, they die from what we buy from drugs
The diamonds, the chains, the bracelets, the charmses
I thought my Jesus Piece was so harmless
'til I seen a picture of a shorty armless
And here's the conflict."
If you've heard this song by Kanye West or watched the movie "Blood Diamond", then you know what a serious problem Conflict Diamonds is. Essentially, blood diamonds are sold clandestinely to finance insurgencies in various African nations, such as Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and more.
The damage is catastrophic. The money earned from trafficking these diamonds steals from the profits of legal businesses. Rebel forces use the money earned illegally from blood diamonds to buy the necessary military supplies to fuel violent conflict in Africa. And we've all heard the DeBeers commercial line that "Diamonds are Forever." A diamond executive once had a dream that this catchy slogan was changed to "Amputation is Forever." Creepy but true: many African men, women, and children work in extremely dangerous mines day and night in search of these diamonds. It is, without a doubt, a miserable life.
In reaction to this pressing issue, the Disarmament and International Security Council of the UN has just modified the Kimberley Process, which is aimed to prevent conflict diamonds. The Kimberly Process is voluntary, but nations that join are expected to pass laws banning illegal trafficking of diamonds, punish violators of aforementioned laws, and export only to other Kimberley Process members.
Although the Kimberley Process has aided the fight against Conflict Diamonds, it is estimated that $160 million of diamonds are still smuggled illegally out of just Sierra Leone alone. Furthermore, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda obtained about $20 million worth of funds from Conflict Diamonds. Clearly, there is still work to be done.
The best solution to this problem is to make sure that any diamonds you buy were mined and sold 100% legally. This may mean you have to pay more, but it's worth it, right?
that's why i wrote this blog. hopefully people care enough to ask if the diamonds they're buying are certified, which is very easy since the new resolution of the Kimberley process includes a database with information on all legal diamonds.