Blood Diamonds Essay
With the upcoming generation, a desire of desperate need to acquire the best, the fastest, the biggest discretionary objects has been planted deep into society’s core values. Whether unknowingly so, modern day consumers and large corporations are intentionally exploiting the people in Western and Central Africa. For the nonrenewable diamonds that are worn to show self worth and minerals that power our cellular devices. Human society, now more than ever, is based on the exploitation of others in order to create a luxurious lifestyle and a certain level of social acceptance at the price of other’s lives. Considered a sin in Christian and Judaism teachings, the love of money is a root for evil in humanity (Timothy 6:10). Man at his most vulnerable
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state is thought to be inherently good and supportive of the well-being of others, but many events including those in Western Africa lead to the assumption human nature is naturally egomaniacal and evil.
Diamonds embody the universal symbol of love and wealth, yet for the individuals residing in ‘diamond-rich’ areas the title these precious gems exhibit are a curse and far from a blessing.
The phrase blood diamonds or conflict minerals is used to describe a rough diamond that was traded illegally in order to finance violence. It has only been a few short years since the global attempt to ban the trade of blood diamonds and conflict minerals began, but the industry is still corrupted by far greater issues. These issues entailing, practices that directly exploit workers, children, and communities. Furthermore sexual violence, hunger, and illiteracy are commonplace in impoverished diamond mining communities. In the last fifteen years alone, illicit diamond mining has fueled brutal civil wars in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (“Gerstein”) Leaving a trail of human destruction that has not been present since World War II; with a collective death toll of 3.7 million lives. (“Congo’s Conflict Minerals: The Next Blood Diamonds.”) As a consequence consumers are still having to wonder, did someone die for that diamond? (“Conflict …show more content…
Diamonds”)
In the new millennium, a common motivation in life is to accumulate power and money, and to capitalize on financially unstable “low-class” citizens. Comparatively to the conflict diamonds and minerals issue there are many layers of exploitation of the people in individual African territories. Major groups, such as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) make millions each year trading minerals in order to fund “their desire to take control of their nations by violence and intimidation” (Briggs). Nevertheless; in spite of this, consumer appetite and dominant corporations conjointly play a role in financing such acts of inhumane brutality.
It should be noted that by the time limited minerals reach diamond retailers and electronics companies, they may have changed hands as many as seven times.
Consequently, without a clear supply chain, it is near impossible for consumers to confidently claim their product is conflict free (Dias). Currently the Democratic Republic of Congo is the primary source of gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten, which are used to power cell phones, laptops and digital cameras (Mooney). On the contrary, the DRC is a site of horrific bloodshed and struggle, where an estimated five million people have been killed since the conflict began in 1996 (Dias). In an interview supported by The Huffington Post, a fourteen year old girl spoke beyond her years when adapting the statement, "anyone who buys a cell phone should question their conscience and insist on fair trade”
(Prendergast).
Conflict is still advancing well into 2016, reports released from institutions like Amnesty International explain “the continuation of the diamond trade within CAR was inevitable in a country where many tens of thousands of people rely on diamonds for their livelihood” (Flanigan). After all, if this problem is unavoidable efforts must be made to the extent of terminating all complications that come as repercussions of diamond mining. In small scale mining, diamond miners produce about 15% of the world’s diamonds, but their wages do not mirror the retail price in respectable jewelers (Gerstein). Individual African territories economies’ are established on the exploitation of nonrenewable resources.
state is thought to be inherently good and supportive of the well-being of others, but many events including those in Western Africa lead to the assumption human nature is naturally egomaniacal and evil.
Diamonds embody the universal symbol of love and wealth, yet for the individuals residing in ‘diamond-rich’ areas the title these precious gems exhibit are a curse and far from a blessing.
The phrase blood diamonds or conflict minerals is used to describe a rough diamond that was traded illegally in order to finance violence. It has only been a few short years since the global attempt to ban the trade of blood diamonds and conflict minerals began, but the industry is still corrupted by far greater issues. These issues entailing, practices that directly exploit workers, children, and communities. Furthermore sexual violence, hunger, and illiteracy are commonplace in impoverished diamond mining communities. In the last fifteen years alone, illicit diamond mining has fueled brutal civil wars in Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. (“Gerstein”) Leaving a trail of human destruction that has not been present since World War II; with a collective death toll of 3.7 million lives. (“Congo’s Conflict Minerals: The Next Blood Diamonds.”) As a consequence consumers are still having to wonder, did someone die for that diamond? (“Conflict …show more content…
Diamonds”)
In the new millennium, a common motivation in life is to accumulate power and money, and to capitalize on financially unstable “low-class” citizens. Comparatively to the conflict diamonds and minerals issue there are many layers of exploitation of the people in individual African territories. Major groups, such as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) make millions each year trading minerals in order to fund “their desire to take control of their nations by violence and intimidation” (Briggs). Nevertheless; in spite of this, consumer appetite and dominant corporations conjointly play a role in financing such acts of inhumane brutality.
It should be noted that by the time limited minerals reach diamond retailers and electronics companies, they may have changed hands as many as seven times.
Consequently, without a clear supply chain, it is near impossible for consumers to confidently claim their product is conflict free (Dias). Currently the Democratic Republic of Congo is the primary source of gold, tin, tantalum, and tungsten, which are used to power cell phones, laptops and digital cameras (Mooney). On the contrary, the DRC is a site of horrific bloodshed and struggle, where an estimated five million people have been killed since the conflict began in 1996 (Dias). In an interview supported by The Huffington Post, a fourteen year old girl spoke beyond her years when adapting the statement, "anyone who buys a cell phone should question their conscience and insist on fair trade”
(Prendergast).
Conflict is still advancing well into 2016, reports released from institutions like Amnesty International explain “the continuation of the diamond trade within CAR was inevitable in a country where many tens of thousands of people rely on diamonds for their livelihood” (Flanigan). After all, if this problem is unavoidable efforts must be made to the extent of terminating all complications that come as repercussions of diamond mining. In small scale mining, diamond miners produce about 15% of the world’s diamonds, but their wages do not mirror the retail price in respectable jewelers (Gerstein). Individual African territories economies’ are established on the exploitation of nonrenewable resources.