Maxwell Kofman
Ms. Bennett
World Lit Honors Second Period
15 March 2016
Diamonds To Die For
A man ponders the decision and finally comes to a conclusion. “I love her, I’m going to propose with the largest diamond I can find. They say I need to spend three months salary to be respected by my fiancé. I’ll do anything, even if it means buying this overly expensive rock that will no doubt leave me in even deeper debt. ” This idea was implanted in the millions of people who have fallen victim to the popular campaign by the De Beers diamond corporation, which has sparked the bloodiest revolution in Africa’s history. In fact, “more than 50,000 have been killed to date” (Baker) in Sierra Leone’s civil war, sparked by these simple carbon minerals. However, this is just the beginning of the bloody affair.
The militant groups move into the diamond rich lands and construct mines. According to Paul Armstrong, the militants capture or hire the cheapest labor force available to use as slaves, most commonly children. In fact, “46% of miners were between the ages of 5 and 16” (Brilliant). This is child labor in any country. Diamond mining is a tough process for adults as it is, and it is often just too much for children. This leads to numerous deaths in kids as they are often overworked. Even for adults, the working conditions are far below current legal standards. Lydia Polgreen from the Time Magazine states that “The tunnels are pitch-black and narrow. They often fill with dangerous fumes. Miners sometimes spend 48 hours straight working in the tunnels. The open pits are dangerous, too: heavy rains cause mudslides and collapses” (Polgreen). These mines are not built with the workers’ safety in mind. Whether it be a collapse or by suffocation, people have to be cautious and on edge all of the time, as one mistake will lead to their demise. Since these mines are not regulated, the working conditions will remain poor until the government stops them.
The governments of all afflicted countries recognize this issue and have been working to stop the terror, but there is one major roadblock - they would be stopping themselves! “Despite a costly effort to unite the nation's many militias into a single national army, plus billions of dollars spent on international peacekeepers... the government is unable or unwilling to force these fighters -- who wear government army uniforms and collect government paychecks -- to leave the mountain” (Polgreen). Most of the countries that are in this terrible situation have no real army. Instead, they are composed primarily of a trained militia unit. Unfortunately, this trained militia, due to their easy access to weaponry, gain control of the mines for their own use. In fact, they even get paid to maintain control of these mines as the government pays them to be a member of the official army. Other countries have recognized that this horrific situation was not making much progress under the governments of the affected countries, and have begun to take international efforts.
The United Nations have recently passed the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The act now has “54 participants, representing 81 countries” (Kimberley) . It is now virtually impossible to sell diamonds without “certifying shipments of rough diamonds as ‘conflict-free'” (Kimberley). Currently, this is the best offense to the situation. It has been working very well, as they now account for up to 99.8% of all rough diamonds (Kimberley). Although this is a major success for the diamond industry as a whole, the only thing standing in the way of total elimination of these diamonds is buyer awareness. Reliable suppliers will try their hardest to maintain a clean reputation, but there will always be deals for incredibly cheap diamonds. Therefore, the next time you buy an expensive ring for your true love for a fraction of it’s value, make sure you think about the children, the wars, and the years of brutal fighting involved to bring you this jewelry.
Works Cited:
- Armstrong, Paul. "What Are 'conflict Diamonds?'" CNN. Cable News Network, 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
- Baker, Aryn, and Tshikapa. "Why the Blood Diamond Trade Won't Die."Time. Time, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
-"Brilliant Earth." Brilliant Earth. Brilliant Earth, n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
-"The Kimberley Process (KP)." The Kimberley Process (KP). Kimberley Process, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
-Mambondiyani, Andrew. "The Pollution Fallout From Zimbabwe's Blood Diamonds." E360.yale. Yale University, 24 May 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
-Polgreen, Lydia. "Congo’s Riches, Looted by Renegade Troops." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Nov. 2008. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
