The Kimberley Process
Blood Diamonds or Conflict Diamonds are stones that are produced in areas controlled by rebel forces opposed to internationally recognized governments. The rebels sell these diamonds to finance the purchase arms or fund their military actions.
Blood Diamonds are often produced through forced labour of men, women and children. Or they might be stolen during shipment or seized by attacking the mining operations of legitimate producers. The stones are smuggled into the international diamond trade and sold as legitimate gems. Enormous amounts of money are at stake and bribes, threats, torture, and murder are often used in the process, which is why the term "blood diamonds" is used.
The Kimberley Process came into effect ten years ago to stem the flow of rough diamonds used by rebel movements in Africa to finance wars to overthrow governments.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes stringent regulations on its diamond-producing member states to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as conflict-free. The 49 members of KPCS account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds
Countries that participate must pass legislation to enforce the Kimberley Process. The process aims to document and track all rough diamonds entering a participating country, with shippers placing stones in tamper-proof shipping crates and providing detailed information about their origins to prove they did not originate in a conflict zone.
Participants are only allowed to trade rough diamonds with other participants. The aim is to prevent blood diamonds from entering the Kimberley Process system.
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