The blood/conflict diamond trade is a horrendous system where diamonds are sold to fund terrorist acts of violence or to even support a civil war such as the one in Sierra Leone. With such a system being in existence it is no surprise that big news would erupt if a celebrity were to get involved in a story pertaining to the blood diamond trade. Naomi Campbell is an example of a celebrity getting involved in such a case.
Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, had allegedly given Naomi Campbell a blood diamond in September of 1997 when they both attended a celebrity dinner hosted by Nelson Mandela. The gift has put Campbell in the middle of Charles Taylor’s trial, as she must now testify about the diamond on July 29th.
It is believed that the diamond Campbell possessed was one that Taylor got from Sierra Leone to take back to South Africa in order to sell or trade it for weapons. Taylor has been in troubling predicaments since the civil war in Sierra Leone from 1991-2001. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes as well as crimes against humanity. On the charges of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers, enslavement and pillaging, he has pleaded not guilty.
Naomi’s story brought new attention to the subject of blood diamonds. Her gift from Taylor has reminded us of the tragedies that come from the trade of blood diamonds. Selling these diamonds is a way terrorists ensure that these tragedies keep occurring. Therefore, it is our job to never contribute to such negative efforts by making sure that none of the diamonds we purchase are blood diamonds.
The Kimberley Process is a system whose efforts are to ensure that the diamonds we purchase be conflict free. This process prohibits conflict diamonds to enter the diamond supply chain. It started when it was announced in July of 2000 that the global diamond industry will not admit any conflict diamonds in the international trade. The Kimberley Process came about through the teamwork of the diamond industry as well as the United Nations and has spread to 74 governments. Thanks to this process almost all diamonds come from reliable, conflict free sources. Its goal is to track and document all the rough diamonds entering a specific country. The diamonds are shipped in crates where it is labeled with details that verify it is not from a conflict zone. Although 99% of diamonds come from conflict free sources, there is still a possibility that a blood diamond could slip through the system. This is unacceptable; therefore, the Kimberley Process is continuously growing and strengthening with the help of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s).
It is very hard to be 100% sure that the diamond you are purchasing is conflict free, but one way to increase your certainty is by purchasing a diamond from Canada. Canadian diamonds have a code of conduct called the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims. This code of conduct verifies that the diamond is in fact Canadian. The diamond also has a paper trail that follows the diamonds from the mine straight to the retailer. The code also requires that the diamond be packed and marked in the correct fashion in order to properly display that it is in fact a Canadian stone. Although this process helps verify that the diamond purchased is not a conflict diamond, the code of conduct is voluntary, therefore not all retailers abide by it.
Not only has Naomi Campbell’s slight involvement with a blood/conflict diamond caused her to testify in court, it has also reminded people of the horror involved with every blood diamond. It is important to know of the ways to decrease your chances of accidentally purchasing one of these diamonds. The Kimberley Process has helped decrease the sale of blood diamonds. Canada’s Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims is another system that helps reassure a diamond buyer that he or she does not have any part in a blood diamond sale.