Blood Diamond
Have you ever heard of the term "conflict diamonds"? They are also sometimes called "conflict diamonds" or "blood diamonds."
"Conflict diamonds" refers to diamonds whose sales revenue is a source of funding for conflicts, terrorism, and organized crime . Conflict diamonds became a global issue in the 1990s, when civil wars broke out in African countries.
The most famous example is the Sierra Leone civil war, which claimed the lives of over 75,000 people. During the war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which was in conflict with the government, seized diamond mines and used the profits from exporting diamonds to fund the conflict. As a result, the conflict is said to have become protracted and bogged down.
The RUF also recruited young boys and girls as soldiers (child soldiers) and committed atrocities such as cutting off the limbs of local residents, which caused the issue of conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone to quickly become known around the world.
In the late 1990s, in addition to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries were in the midst of civil war, and data suggests that at least 4% of the diamonds in circulation around the world at the time were conflict diamonds.
To overcome this situation, people in the jewelry industry came together to create the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
Achievements and Problems of the Kimberley Process
In 2002, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was adopted by the United Nations.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (hereinafter referred to as the Kimberley Process) is a system in which rough diamonds are exported with a certificate that they are not conflict diamonds , and 86 countries and regions participate.
Not only exporting countries, but also participating countries on the importing side, including Japan, have agreed not to import or allow to pass through rough diamonds that do not have a certification certificate.
The Kimberley Process now successfully oversees 99.8% of the world's diamond production.
Although the Kimberley Process has achieved some success, there are also criticisms that it is "insufficient." For example, there are the following points:
1. Only "rough stones" are eligible
This does not apply to diamonds that have been cut and polished.
2. Only "anti-government organizations" are targeted
Although corrupt regimes may also use diamonds to finance conflict and violence against their own people, government funding of conflict is not included.
3. Only "conflicts" are included
Diamonds are not just about conflict. There are many other issues, such as child labor, violence and abuse against workers, and poor and dangerous working conditions, but the Kimberley Process does not guarantee anything other than that they are "conflict-free."
The Kimberley Process should be praised as a solution to the problem of conflict diamonds, but 23 years have passed since its adoption, and it can now be said that "conflict-free" is a prerequisite for diamonds.
Therefore, it is important to note that just because a diamond has passed the Kimberly Process does not necessarily mean it is an ethical diamond.
What is needed now is a more ethical standard.
A modern "ethical diamond" is one that is traceable and transparent from the time it is mined to the time it reaches the consumer, with confirmation that child labor is not used, that workers' human rights are protected, and that mining is carried out in harmony with the surrounding community and environment.
Click here to find out more about the ethical gemstones used by Jewellery Wanderlust, including diamonds.
References
Kimberley Process | Ensuring Conflict-Free Diamonds Worldwide
Conflict and Diamonds | Diamonds For Peace