Blood Diamonds
“Dig or Die” is a phrase often used when talking about our world 's most loved gem, the diamond. Many precious jewels are faceted with conflict. Blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds, are diamonds mined in war-torn countries by antigovernment groups (Blood Diamonds). These militias use the money to aid their cause. Wars fueled by these diamonds have taken over 3.7 million lives, in countries such as Zimbabwe, Angola, Congo and Liberia. Most people do not know what was sacrificed for them to wear their diamond ring (“Blood Diamonds Exposed”). Despite the beauty a diamond holds, people must be made aware of the dangerous social implications they embody.
The conflict of blood diamonds is not an emerging issue. Starting back in 1867, when a large discovery of diamonds was found in the poverty stricken Cape Colony, De Beers claimed ownership of these mines and gained a monopoly. In order to drive the prices up and to make the gem more valuable, they withheld a majority of the supply. He created the illusion that diamonds were rare (Blood Diamonds). De Beers is the company …show more content…
In 2003, in order to take action, representatives of 81 countries implemented the Kimberley Process, also called KP (“The Kimberley Process”). This put laws in place to ban diamonds that fund rebel militias. These laws are seldom enforced. Since KP has been in effect, the United Nations reported that a minimum of 24 million dollars worth of diamonds have been smuggled out of banned countries. It also does not protect the citizens against the human abuse and child labor that occurs. Although the Kimberley Process was meant to help, it certifies these diamonds as “conflict free” and they are shipped to jewelers worldwide (Blood Diamonds). This has caused many advocates of conflict free diamonds to no longer support the process (“Blood Diamonds Exposed”). This was virtually taking a step back in the fight against blood
“Dig or Die” is a phrase often used when talking about our world 's most loved gem, the diamond. Many precious jewels are faceted with conflict. Blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds, are diamonds mined in war-torn countries by antigovernment groups (Blood Diamonds). These militias use the money to aid their cause. Wars fueled by these diamonds have taken over 3.7 million lives, in countries such as Zimbabwe, Angola, Congo and Liberia. Most people do not know what was sacrificed for them to wear their diamond ring (“Blood Diamonds Exposed”). Despite the beauty a diamond holds, people must be made aware of the dangerous social implications they embody.
The conflict of blood diamonds is not an emerging issue. Starting back in 1867, when a large discovery of diamonds was found in the poverty stricken Cape Colony, De Beers claimed ownership of these mines and gained a monopoly. In order to drive the prices up and to make the gem more valuable, they withheld a majority of the supply. He created the illusion that diamonds were rare (Blood Diamonds). De Beers is the company …show more content…
In 2003, in order to take action, representatives of 81 countries implemented the Kimberley Process, also called KP (“The Kimberley Process”). This put laws in place to ban diamonds that fund rebel militias. These laws are seldom enforced. Since KP has been in effect, the United Nations reported that a minimum of 24 million dollars worth of diamonds have been smuggled out of banned countries. It also does not protect the citizens against the human abuse and child labor that occurs. Although the Kimberley Process was meant to help, it certifies these diamonds as “conflict free” and they are shipped to jewelers worldwide (Blood Diamonds). This has caused many advocates of conflict free diamonds to no longer support the process (“Blood Diamonds Exposed”). This was virtually taking a step back in the fight against blood