What Is The Impact Of Blood Diamonds?

The tragic result is

bloodshed, loss of life, and shocking human rights abuses

– from rape to the use of child soldiers. Diamonds that fuel civil wars are often called “blood” or “conflict” diamonds. Although many diamond-fueled wars have now ended, conflict diamonds remain a serious problem.

How do blood diamonds affect the world?

Diamond mining also has many detrimental impacts on the environment including

soil erosion, deforestation, and ecosystem destruction

. A major political effect of the diamond commodity chain, specifically at the mining level is blood diamonds. These are diamonds that are produced in war zones to finance civil wars.

What is the significance of blood diamonds?

Blood Diamonds, also known as “Conflict Diamonds,” are

stones that are produced in areas controlled by rebel forces that are opposed to internationally recognized governments

. The rebels sell these diamonds, and the money is used to purchase arms or to fund their military actions.

Are blood diamonds still a problem?

A lot has been done to address the issue of blood diamonds and conflict diamonds since then, but unfortunately,

we still have a ways to go

. … Historically, the African diamond trade has been riddled with corruption and violence that many people think has subsided following the civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s.

What are the effects of blood diamonds in Sierra Leone?

The Costs of Conflict Diamonds:

The war between 1991 and 1999 claimed over 75,000 lives, caused 500,000

Sierra Leoneans to become refugees

, and displaced half of the countries 4.5 million people[6].

Who is affected by blood diamonds?

In just the past two decades, seven African countries have endured brutal civil conflicts fueled by diamonds:

Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo

. Diamonds intensify civil wars by financing militaries and rebel militias.

What are blood diamonds worth?

“Diamonds worth millions of U.S. dollars have been smuggled before and nothing happened.” Diamond experts say the gem could be the 10th-largest ever discovered and initially pegged its value at

$50 million

.

Are Tiffany blood diamonds?

So the Tiffany

Diamond may not technically be a blood diamond

according to the U.N., But this is a definition that deserves to be expanded, as Washington Post opinion columnist Karen Attiah noted.

Is blood diamond true?

The diamond industry is abuzz over the new film Blood Diamond, a fictional account of rebel militias in Sierra Leone fueling a bloody civil war through the sale of the precious gems. … He promises to help a poor black fisherman find his kidnapped son in exchange for help locating the gemstone.

How are blood diamonds being stopped?

Thanks to new

blockchain technology

, a diamond's history now is easily accessible and impossible to manipulate. This technological breakthrough has the power that many have been searching for to stop blood diamonds. Blockchain is the technology behind cryptocurrencies.

Are all diamonds from Africa blood diamonds?

All diamonds are

blood diamonds

. … The brutal Western imperial proxy wars in West Africa over diamond mines have been horrific. These wars, however, are only another chapter in the last hundred years of colonial terror as it has been represented by the diamond trade, controlled by the DeBeers cartel.

Are diamonds blood diamonds?

Blood diamond, also called conflict diamond, as defined by the United Nations (UN),

any diamond that is mined in areas controlled by forces opposed to the legitimate

, internationally recognized government of a country and that is sold to fund military action against that government.

Why do they cut off hands in blood diamond?

Seizing the right arms of their chosen victims, the young pair bring their blades crashing down,

severing hands as a warning to the whole village not to challenge their authority

. Such horrifying scenes were once common during Sierra Leone's 11-year civil war.

Who controls the diamond trade?

Are there diamonds in Sierra Leone?

Diamonds are found in

about a quarter of Sierra Leone in the south-east and east of the country

, with the diamond fields cover 7,700 square miles.

Are there still blood diamonds in Sierra Leone?

15% of Sierra Leone's diamond production are conflict diamonds. It shows that the

production of conflict diamonds still exists in Sierra Leone

.