Blood Diamond

No, this is not going to be a movie review. I haven't seen the movie (yet). This is a real life situation. Real people, real diamonds, real fear. No, the diamonds aren't red. They look normal. It's what's behind them that counts.

They say diamonds are a girl's best friend. Are these?

Blood diamonds are illegally mined diamonds. The money made from these diamonds goes towards paying for wars. Pays for weapons to invade villages, kill civilians, and train children to become child soldiers. The largest sources of blood diamonds are certain countries in Africa, such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of Congo.

Besides being used to pay for weapons, these diamond mines (and the diamonds smuggled out of them) are not legally registered. They opperate in "secret", and the mine owners use physical abuse against their employees. Probably also use child labor.

So, if you ever buy a diamond, watch where it comes from. Is it from a conflict source? Was it legally mined? Some people don't care about whether you get things legally or not. You should start caring.

Watch what you buy. Make a difference.

In 2003, several countries from across the globe gathered in Kimberly, South Africa to try to solve this problem of illegal diamonds. The created a document known as the Kimberly Process, which states that diamonds can only be bought and sold by and from countries that have signed this process. All diamonds mined must be regestered and given a serial number, which is put on an international register. This number is laser cut into the diamond, marking it as a "conflict-free" diamond. All diamonds on the market are chemically tested to ensure that they have not come from a conflict source.

Want to learn more? The internet is a good way to find out.