The diamond industry employs 38,000 people, directly in Southern Africa, the main industrial location for diamonds). This employment provides shelter, food and clean water for people working in the mines. In South Africa, a rough 28,000 people are employed for cutting, mining, valuing, polishing, jewelry manufacturing, and retail. These few job opportunities open doors for workers to live under a roof, to get their kids educated, to obtain appropriate health care and much more. "We know that diamonds are a valued source of employment, foreign exchange, tax revenue, new investments play a positive role in enhancing the overall economic well being of countries and local communities." (Thabo Mbeki, democratically elected President of South Africa).
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These impacts may not be clear to the woman with diamond jewelry around her wrist. First of all the workers are poorly treated and some of them are children. Yes, that is child labor. Children are transferred to diamond mines to work for six or even seven days of the week. Child labour in the diamond industry only affects a few countries in Africa, including Angola, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. Children, aged up to 16 years old are forced to carry heavy bags of gravel and huge shovels. As children are more vulnerable to accidents or injuries, this situation declines even more. That's not it though... Adult workers are also harshly treated. The safety and health of workers in the mines are next to nonexistent. Diamond miners, especially those working in small scale mining, work in extremely dangerous conditions, because of the lack of expertise and training. Not only are they not equipped with proper tools, they could also come face to face with landslides, mine collapses and other fatal incidents. People are put into extremely discomfitting situations, due to the demand for diamonds. People working around diamond mines, could potentially be affected as well. Derelict diamond mines are the perfect breeding spots for mosquitoes carrying malaria. Pollution is also released from the machinery affecting people's air quality. In the long run, pollution can cause many diseases, especially lung diseases. As you can see here, diamond mining is affecting children, adult workers, and even people around the
These impacts may not be clear to the woman with diamond jewelry around her wrist. First of all the workers are poorly treated and some of them are children. Yes, that is child labor. Children are transferred to diamond mines to work for six or even seven days of the week. Child labour in the diamond industry only affects a few countries in Africa, including Angola, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. Children, aged up to 16 years old are forced to carry heavy bags of gravel and huge shovels. As children are more vulnerable to accidents or injuries, this situation declines even more. That's not it though... Adult workers are also harshly treated. The safety and health of workers in the mines are next to nonexistent. Diamond miners, especially those working in small scale mining, work in extremely dangerous conditions, because of the lack of expertise and training. Not only are they not equipped with proper tools, they could also come face to face with landslides, mine collapses and other fatal incidents. People are put into extremely discomfitting situations, due to the demand for diamonds. People working around diamond mines, could potentially be affected as well. Derelict diamond mines are the perfect breeding spots for mosquitoes carrying malaria. Pollution is also released from the machinery affecting people's air quality. In the long run, pollution can cause many diseases, especially lung diseases. As you can see here, diamond mining is affecting children, adult workers, and even people around the