What is a blood diamond?
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For a very long time, people have connected diamonds with class, attractiveness, and undying love. I mean, what else sits on the end of an engagement ring? What did Kim K lose in the Ocean? Diamond earrings! But blood diamonds, which can also be known as conflict diamonds, are diamonds that come from mines that are in conflict with other nations' governments.
Why are they so controversial?
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Blood diamonds are diamonds that are mined in war zones and then sold to fuel armed conflict against the governments of those countries. Blood diamonds really are a source of evil. The change between the use of “blood” to “conflict” sprang to popularity in the late 1990s as a result of wars that took place in Africa, such as the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Where are blood diamonds mined?
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The mining of blood diamonds takes parts in countries of the world where wars can be easily started between corrupt government and corrupt rebel groups. For example, in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, vicious wars have been financed by the sale of these diamonds, which has caused loads of misery and unnecessary death. Diamond mining is used by rebel organizations as a source of funding for their activities.
Mining blood diamonds violates human rights
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The trade in diamonds is often associated with serious violations of human rights. Among unsatisfactory working conditions, the trade can often employ the use of forced labor, child labor, and other exploitative activities. Miners, especially minors, are forced to work in dangerous situations since there are few restrictions in place to protect them.
Ecosystems have been destroyed by blood diamonds
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Mining for blood diamonds has a devastating impact on the surrounding ecosystem. The use of heavy equipment, the cutting down of trees, and the incorrect disposal of garbage naturally have permanent effects on the environment. This mining has ultimately led many times to the destruction of ecosystems and the extreme and harmful contamination of water sources.
Even mining policies are riddled with flaws
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The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was formed in 2003 in response to the rising worries about the possibility of conflict diamonds making their way into the legal diamond trade across the world. While it was meant to be a positive policy, on the other hand, the efficacy of this method has been called into question owing to the existence of loopholes and a lack of enforcement.
The Kimberley Process is too easy to bypass
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The Kimberley Process is faced with a variety of corruption methods, used in order to get these blood diamonds into worldwide diamond circulation. These methods include smuggling, corruption, and fraudulent certificates. These problems make it possible for blood diamonds to infiltrate the worldwide market without being discovered, which counters the intention of the certification method.
Blood diamonds are just too similar to other types
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Blood diamond mining has been around for some time, so it’s no surprise that smugglers and miners have effectively perfected ways in which to scatter them around the world. Sophisticated smuggling networks make certain that blood diamonds are distributed via legitimate routes. Because diamonds are often combined with other types of stones, it may be difficult to correctly determine where they came from.
Countless people lose their lives to blood diamonds
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The human cost of obtaining diamonds via illegal means is tremendous. Child soldiers are often coerced into working in mines, which results in them missing out on their childhoods and suffering significant psychological damage. The impacts of the war that are sponsored by these diamonds include the disruption of families and the suffering of whole communities.
People are only just being trained to mine diamonds properly
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Diamond mining is typically one of the only feasible sources of income in disadvantaged areas, which is where artisan (hand) mining is most likely to take place. Aiding in the fight against poverty, while also lessening the appeal of blood diamonds, people are being trained and supported through the appropriate artisan mining techniques. As long as the legitimate practice of mining diamonds is done in a responsible way, it will provide much better opportunities.
Realistically, diamond buyers are also part of the problem
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Diamonds are a luxurious want around the world. People love to feel glamorous by buying something rare and expensive; it sets them apart from the rest. But customers really could do better. In order to effectively address the problem of blood diamonds customers could put pressure on the diamond industry to adopt better standards by demanding transparency and ethical sourcing, which may lower the demand for diamonds that come from conflicts.
The effects of blood mining spans generations
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The fallout from wars that are fueled by the sale of blood diamonds can ripple throughout many generations. Rebuilding society, reintegrating child miners, and giving care for those who have experienced trauma are all challenging endeavors that need ongoing efforts on a global scale. If these issues aren’t addressed, then blood diamond mining really can have a troublesome impact on the population of the affected countries.
Restricting blood diamonds might affect the diamond forever
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Diamonds typically serve as a symbol of love and loyalty in many different cultures, and have been used a symbol of wealth, royalty and love for hundreds of years. Finding the right balance between educating people about blood diamonds and preserving the cultural significance of diamonds might be quite difficult, and eventually may result in the overhaul of the diamond altogether.
Diamonds can now be made in a lab!
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The development of synthetic diamonds has provided an alternative to naturally occurring diamonds that are mined. These lab-grown diamonds have less of an impact on the environment than mined diamonds do, and they can be traced back to legitimate suppliers, giving customers a more conscientious option. No doubt, the richest of the rich will still want authentically, earth-made diamonds in their ears and on their fingers.
The UN has even been involved
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In addition to the Kimberley Process, international organizations such as the United Nations have also implemented measures to fight against the trafficking in blood diamonds. Countries and organisations who are engaged in the unlawful trafficking of diamonds are the focus of resolutions and penalties. When governments or rebel groups are caught, it might only add fuel to the conflict arisen.
Not enough diamond buyers know about the origin of blood diamonds
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The importance of raising awareness about the blood diamond problem cannot be overstated. The evil side of the diamond trade has had some more awareness raised through information on the topic via a variety of mediums, including but not limited to documentaries, news reports, and advocacy efforts. But the awareness still has far to go, and people ought to know the consequences of buying such illegal materialistic items.
Blockchain technology has helped to solidify legitimate sources of diamonds
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The use of blockchain technology is one potential answer to the problem of lack of transparency in the diamond supply chain. Essentially, blockchain is technology that allows the transparent sharing of information between firms within a business network. This technology might help assure ethical procedures and reduce the chance of blood diamonds making their way into the market by tracking every step of the trip a diamond makes, beginning with its mining and ending with its sale.
Governments aren’t doing enough to stop blood diamond mining
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The governments of nations that produce diamonds are the ones who are tasked with the obligation of implementing legislation and putting a stop to the illegal trade of diamonds. Yet, not enough governments are putting time and resources into putting an end to the illegal mining. A reduction in the flow of blood diamonds can be achieved by bolstering existing legal frameworks and anti-corruption initiatives.
Diamond firms aren’t being responsible enough
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There’s been pressure put on diamond firms (no joke intended) to embrace corporate social responsibility by making pledges to ethically source their diamonds, reduce their effect on the environment, and provide help to the communities in which they operate. While many diamond firms have taken this advice on board, there’s still a long way to go before diamond firms are mainly reputable and responsible.
A lot is going on to reduce the conflict caused by blood diamonds
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Many nongovernmental organizations and advocacy groups are making strenuous efforts to work on the cause of conflict-free diamond commerce. They work together with governments, companies, and local communities in an effort to develop fair labor standards, environmental protections, and transparent supply chains. There’s a long way to go, but hopefully one day blood diamonds won’t have the impact they have today.
The certifications policies need scrapping
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Despite the fact that certification processes like the Kimberley Process aim to guarantee the authenticity of diamonds, there are still certain problems. In order to successfully fight the blood diamond trade, it is essential to completely overhaul these institutions so that they incorporate more stringent restrictions and tougher enforcement.
Countries’ finances have been impacted massively by blood diamonds
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Beyond areas of active conflict, the trade in blood diamonds has a significant economic effect. Because of the association with blood diamonds, legitimate diamond-producing countries economies may suffer as a result of a decrease in demand for their product and also consumers not liking the way in which the diamonds are mined. It’s up to these countries now to reestablish themselves as reputable diamond-mining nations.
Customers aren’t being told how their diamonds are mined
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In order to move towards an environmentally and socially friendly diamond-mining industry, customers need to know the consequences of buying blood diamonds. However, it appears that prior to making a purchase, customers aren’t being made aware of the importance on being informed about a product's history, as well as its ethical and environmental impacts.
Organisations and countries need to do better to work together
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It is vital for governments, diamond corporations, non-governmental organizations and consumers to work together in order to successfully solve the blood diamond problem. As you’ve already learned, the effect of blood diamonds are so extreme, they’re hard to overlook. An immediate effort has the potential to transform the diamond business into one that is more accountable and open.
Some companies have opted for ethical substitutes
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As a direct result of the blood diamond trade, ethical diamond sourcing and certifications have become more widely used by companies wanting to mine diamonds, and rightly so! It’s a shame that it’s taken all these lives lost for projects to acknowledge that the diamond industry has to do better. These projects have the dual purpose of helping local communities and providing customers with diamonds that are mined in an ethical manner.
The media overlook the severity of blood-diamond mining
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The attention that a story receives in the media is one of the most important factors in determining how the public thinks and reacts to events, so naturally you’d expect that the media would be all over this. Newsflash: they’re not! It is possible to start dialogues that result in constructive acts by bringing attention to both the attractiveness and the grim reality of blood diamonds.
Thankfully, firms are putting money back into the mined areas
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After the steep rise in diamond demand across the world, it became hard for some reputable firms to ignore the fact that blood diamond mining was causing serious trouble. As a result, some diamond firms made investments in local communities' education, healthcare, and infrastructure in an effort to help such areas become more self-sufficient. This strategy contributes to the breaking of the cycle of war and poverty that is perpetuated by blood diamonds.
But is it enough?
Image Source/ The Borgen Project
As you can tell so far, the blood diamond trade doesn’t care too much about the working conditions, legitimacy or safety of their workers. Instead, it’s used to exploit workers in order to speedily raise money and ignite wars against governments. It’s hard to believe that the small work that ethical firms do will counteract the horrors and lives lost of the blood diamond trade.
Blood-diamond mining is a global issue that’s nowhere near resolved
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Because of the nature of the diamond trade, which takes place on a worldwide scale, it is difficult to monitor the flow of conflict or blood diamonds. No single organization is going to have the resources or capacity to watch over all the activities within the diamond industry. In order to find a solution to the problem, we will need to work together on a global scale and secure the commitment of a variety of parties.
It’s another example of how the wealthy exploits the underprivileged
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The trade in blood diamonds is yet another serious and harsh reminder of the link between luxury goods and the exploitation and misery of people. For centuries, the wealthy have been taking advantage of people in poverty, and this is just another example. We can move toward a more responsible and ethical diamond business by studying the errors of the past and learning from them.