While looking at a diamond one
is captivated by its charm, its brilliance and its sparkle. The
wearer is often mesmerised by the
perfection of the facets and the fire of a diamond, but the picture is not
always so beautiful. In some parts of
the world diamonds are used to finance wars and illegal operations. These
diamonds are often termed as blood diamonds or conflict diamonds.
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| BLOOD DIAMONDS |
The United Nations define blood diamonds as-" Diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognised governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council. "
The illegitimate sale of conflict diamonds has produced millions of
dollars to fund civil wars if African countries like Angola, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. The concept of conflict diamonds
started taking shape years ago in African countries when certain traders
discovered that they could earn huge profits by smuggling them out of the
country. This gave rise to illegal mining and selling of diamonds. Eventually,
the trade of conflict diamonds flourished and the governments of the respective
nations failed to police these illegal operations.
Sierra Leone is one country which witnessed one of the most brutal
wars in the history of mankind. Soon after Sierra Leone gained independence
from Great Britain in 1961, smuggling of diamonds was a serious concern. The
government here turned out to be corrupt and it encouraged illicit trade. In
1991 a rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front ( a group of rebels from
Sierra Leone and Liberia) attacked eastern parts of the nation. These attacks
were carried out in order to gain total control of the diamond mines and
overthrow the existing government. The civil war here lasted for nine years and
the war was funded by exchanging diamonds for weapons. A peace treaty was
signed by the RUF with the government but rebel groups still continue to
terrorise this country. However, this civil war devastated Sierra Leone. Poor
economy and social instability, left the
country torn apart. The RUF has committed unjustifiable crimes like amputation
and mutilation, sexually assaulted women, murders etc.
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| FORCED LABOUR IN SIERRA LEONE |
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| REBEL GROUPS |
Similarly after Angola gained independence from Portugal, a civil war
broke out between two prominent political parties of the country. Reason being
the same , whoever controls the diamond mines, controls the nation. Likewise,
Zimbabwe has also been stained with the bloods of many to carry on the
smuggling of Marange diamonds which is capable of producing 40 million carats
of diamonds every year. The authorities
captured the diamond producing areas and they make the miners work under
inhuman conditions.
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| AMPUTATION OF LIMBS BY REBEL GROUPS |
According to a speculation, a lot of these diamonds from Zimbabwe and
other African countries are sent to the diamond cutting and polishing hub of
India, Surat. Due to availability of cheap labour and not - so - strict
regulations these diamonds easily flow into the Indian market. And from India
to other countries like US and Canada. Once they step into the Indian market
it is very difficult to trace their origin. Antwerp, which is the world leader
in cutting and polishing of diamonds has maintained strict regulations on the
flow of these tainted diamonds and hence it helps in controlling the movement
of these diamonds.
In
the context of blood diamonds it has been rightly said that, diamonds resources
are usually a boon for any country but, for these African countries they have
proved out to be their biggest curse.
However, the United Nations, De Beers, Diamond Council and various
human rights organisations are taking up measures to control the movement
conflict diamonds. The most concrete step taken in this direction is the
Kimberley Certification Scheme which was launched by De Beers in the year 2003.
Under this scheme the rough diamonds have to be a accompanied with a
certificate of origin. These rough diamonds should not be funding any illegitimate operations against a
UN recognised government and diamonds cannot be exported to or imported from a
non member of the scheme. This prevents blood diamonds from entering the
conventional rough diamond market. Besides this, it also prevents the buyer
from unknowingly funding an illicit operation and encouraging inhumane
activities.
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| CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN |
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| CERTIFICATION FOR EXPORTATION OF ROUGH DIAMONDS |
As a consumer, one can always ask for a certificate of origin from
the seller to ensure that diamonds purchased are from conflict free areas. A
genuine certificate of origin is what helps one to differentiate between a
conflict diamond and legitimate diamond.
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| KIMBERLEY PROCESS CERTIFICATE |
Diamonds symbolise eternal love,
they should not be tainted with
the blood of innocent people. Hence, one should make sure that diamonds
being bought are responsibly sourced so that directly or indirectly we are not
funding any violent operations.
