FEDERAL WAY, Wash.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Mar 22, 2001--We all know the slogans and associations which give diamonds value: ''Diamonds are a girl`s best friend.'' ''Diamonds mean commitment.'' ''Diamonds are forever.''
What you may not know is: As much as 15 percent of the $4 billion in diamonds sold in the U.S. annually represents ''blood diamonds.'' These gems are mined and sold by rebel groups that brutalize civilians with amputation and killing sprees. Rebels use the profits to buy arms to continue their terrorism against legal governments and citizenry.
The majority of diamonds are not stained by the horrors of war. But there is a significant minority marked with the blood of the innocent.
In West Africa, the trade in conflict diamonds has contributed to the complete devastation of one of the world`s poorest countries - Sierra Leone. In 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was a rag-tag bunch of 400 disgruntled bandits in the jungle seeking a fortune. After capturing the diamond mines in the eastern part of the country, the RUF was able to finance its cause to become a well-armed fighting force of 25,000.
Revenues from the conflict diamond trade purchase arms on the black market and drugs to dope kidnapped child soldiers who are forced to commit unspeakable atrocities on behalf of the RUF. These rebels still continue to mine diamonds under the cover of warfare.
Despite these realities, there is much hope in ending this. Because Americans consume 65% of the world`s gem-quality diamonds, we have the distinct power to dispel the darkness by ending the trade in conflict diamonds. For several months, the diamond industry has made public commitments to set up a global certification system which would filter out conflict diamonds from the clean stream of diamonds coming from legitimate sources.
World Vision, in partnership with more than 70 humanitarian, human rights and religious organizations, believes that the diamond industry and concerned governments must implement this global system in order to halt the trade in conflict diamonds, while protecting legitimate diamond producers like South Africa. But the diamond industry will only keep its commitment if American consumers demand it. There are three things that you can do to wipe the blood off of diamonds:
1) Write to your Congressman and Senator and demand that they enact the Clean Diamond Act, sponsored by Tony Hall (D-Ohio), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) This bill would transfer money from criminal penalties and the confiscation of contraband diamonds to a child amputee rehabilitation fund and to projects that promote peace and economic development like those initiated by international humanitarian aid agencies such as World Vision.
2) Don`t boycott, but do ask about the ''fifth C.'' When buying a diamond, the majority only ask about the 4 Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat. When jewelers` customers begin to demand information on the fifth C -- ''conflict'' -- then jewelers in turn will demand from their diamond suppliers a verifiable guarantee that they are selling diamonds that are conflict-free.
3) Tell your friends and family about conflict diamonds. Let them know that they have the power to save lives by simply writing to their Congressman and talking to their jeweler.
For more information about ''blood diamonds,'' call World Vision at 1-888-56-CHILD or visit the Web site at www.worldvision.org.
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