Conflict and Blood Diamonds
What are Conflict and Blood Diamonds?
Conflict and blood diamonds refer to the same thing. Conflict or blood diamonds are usually in the raw form and are traded illegally in-war torn areas. The United Nations defines them as "...diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council" (Armstrong).
What Can Be Done to Stop the Production of Conflict and Blood Diamonds?
The Kimberly Process is a well known agreement created to decrease the number of conflict/blood diamonds sold to fund violence. Even so, it still lets questionable diamonds through and doesn't protect the workers enough. Though people are trying to do other things to stop the production of conflict/blood diamonds, it is hard to source back where a certain diamond came from. "There are thousands of mines. It's impossible to keep track," a diamond seller said. For the mines outside Tshikapa, it is estimated a diamond is passed from one hand to another about 8-10 times and sold about two times before reaching its final destination. Though a very skilled geologist might be able to get a sense where a raw diamond came from, it is hard because diamonds generally look the same. (Baker).