Blood diamonds are also referred to as "conflict diamonds" due to military and corporation conflicts that surround the harvesting and sales of these diamonds. Large and intense wars are fought over diamond mines, and unregulated sales are often used to fund world conflicts. Often caught in the middle of these diamond wars are the harvesters, primarily children, who suffer tragic and sometimes fatal injuries during the wars.
The first public awareness and action against the inhumane treatment of diamond harvesters began in the early 2000s. Campaigns by Amnesty International and Global Exchange were launched with the primary purpose of exposing the blood diamond trade as a travesty for those who harvested the diamonds, as well as the illicit trade in conflict funding.
At that same time, it reached the Congressional level in the United States, but the proposal languished as provisions were hard to finalize. The 9/11 terrorists acts brought renewed energy to regulating the blood diamond trade when it was discovered that Al Queda had been funded with large purchases of Sierra Leone blood diamonds.
In 2003, the Kimberley Process was established to negate the international trade in diamonds that fund conflict. The certification scheme requires governments to certify that all shipments of rough diamonds exclude blood diamonds. Countries that participate in the Kimberley Process must adhere to legislative procedure in the trade of diamonds.
Although the Kimberley Process has seen progress in blocking the trade of blood diamonds, they remain a part of the diamond trade and continue to enter legitimate markets. Loopholes and weaknesses in the scheme allow illicit trade to continue.
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