Blood Diamonds

Blood diamonds - also known as conflict diamonds - have been a politicial issue for many years now. They reached a wider public consciousness following the 2006 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

What Are Blood Diamonds?

Blood diamonds are stones that have been mined and sold in order to support armed conflict, be it an international war or an interal civil war. The name arises because money gained from their sale is used to finance killing - hence the buyer can be said to morally have blood on their hands.

Since blood diamonds arise out of conflict it is inevitable that they should be associated with regions where war is common. Very often they originate from poor African countries.

Over the years individual governments and institutions such as the United Nations (UN) have imposed sanctions prohibiting trade in such stones. However sanctions have been broken throughout history and rough stones from the war zones still found their way onto the international market.

Kimberley Process Certification

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was established to prevent international trade in blood diamonds. The KPCS was agreed at a meeting of diamond producers in 2000 held in Kimberley, South Africa.

The KPCS went into operation in 2003. Countries wishing to be approved by the scheme must conform to three rules:

any diamond originating from the country does not finance a rebel group or other entity seeking to overthrow a UN-recognized government.
every diamond export be accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate proving
no diamond is imported from, or exported to, a non-member of the scheme.

The KPCS goes long way to ensure that customers can buy diamonds without worrying that they are financing war or human rights abuses. However there some who feel it doesn't go far enough.

External Links:
The Kimberley Process