| Created to stem the flow of illegal diamonds, The | | | | diamond fields, living in extreme poverty |
| Kimberley Process is on the tip of collapse, as its | | | | - They work in dirty and dangerous conditions, with no |
| leading designer, Ian Smillie, leaves angrily. He says | | | | guarantee they will discover any stones |
| governments and the industry have to act against | | | | - Miners in Sierra Leone sell their diamonds for a mere |
| gross violations. | | | | fifth of what the stones are worth when they finally |
| Blood Diamonds finance conflict, civil wars and human | | | | leave the country |
| right abuses. Top of the list is the nation of Zimbabwe, | | | | - Profits go to traders, middle-men and exporters who |
| where between 10-20,000 illegal diamond workers | | | | scheme to swindle the artisanal diggers in a market |
| were murdered last year by the army, as the | | | | that is neither free nor fair |
| government militarized a key mining region. Both illegal | | | | - Artisanal diggers work in hazardous, unsafe, |
| workers and the African Consolidate Resources were | | | | conditions, heedless of mine collapses, kidnappings, |
| locked out of the region by the government. | | | | shootings, detentions, beatings and exploitation. Many |
| Just a small number of conflict diamonds can create | | | | regions use child labour. |
| havoc in a nation. It is thought that up to 20% of | | | | Global Witness states "100% of Venezuela's diamonds |
| diamonds globally, are from the illicit trade of Blood | | | | are smuggled". Guinea has achieved an unbelievable |
| Diamonds. Set up by governments, the Kimberley | | | | 500% increase in diamond production each year. |
| Process was designed to stop the trade, but has failed | | | | Lebanon is able to export more rough diamonds than it |
| dismally to achieve its goal, through lack of | | | | imports, although it has no local deposits. Yet Kimberley |
| implementation. $23 million worth of stones enter into | | | | Process has not suspended these nations from the |
| the legal trade from Sierra Leone alone. | | | | diamond trade. |
| Most of the African diamond-rich nations are | | | | "What's the point of having a stick if the stick is never |
| extremely poor, with no assistance flowing down to | | | | used? Zimbabwe should be suspended", says lead |
| the people from their countries mineral riches. | | | | campaigner from Global Witness, Anni Dunnebacke. |
| - Almost one million artisanal diamond diggers mine the | | | | |