Conflict diamonds are those diamonds which are traded unlawfully towards fund conflict in war-prone areas, specifically in Western and Africa parts mostly Central Africa. According to United Nations, conflict diamonds act as sources of fortune originating from regions inhibited through factions otherwise militants divergent to the international plus legitimate administration. They often utilize the diamond proceeds in funding various military actions in opposition to the legitimate government. Such diamonds usually refer to as "blood diamonds" (Olsson, 2007). What is evident is that conflict diamonds have adverse effects on the society. They can instigate environment degradation, child labor and violence in the society. This paper access the reason as to why conflict diamond needs to stop since it leads to violence, child labor, and environmental degradation.
Violence
Diamond should be symbols of commitment, love, and joy within the society. However, for many individuals in conflict diamond countries, the resource is perceived as a curse than a blessing to them. Often, the mines produce not only diamonds but also elicit violence, civil war, and untold human suffering. Recently, the public has been overwhelmed by the increasing violence in diamond mines. And they are demanding for a greater urgency of making diamond mines free from bloodshed and related human abuse. However, mining of conflict diamonds with violent histories is still taking place. Violence and various forms of injustices are still eminent in conflict diamond mining areas (Tamm, 2002).
Conflict diamond has often sparked a civil war in many nations. In the last 20 years, seven countries in Africa have tolerated brutal civil conflicts fuelled by conflict diamond. Skirmishes emerge between rival groups who want to be in control of diamond-rich areas. The result is tragic and leads to bloodshed, extreme abuse of human rights, death and rape. In most cases, the war has left thousands of individuals displaced from their homes. Moreover, previous wars fuelled by conflict diamonds have claimed close to 3.7 million lives. Several persons are still coping with the aftermath of diamond conflict violence. A case in point in 2013, there erupted a civil war in the Central African Republic with both parties fighting over diamond sources in the country. (Le Billon, 2008).
The violence originating from conflict diamond is manifold. Often, rebel groups are responsible for the violence. However, the governments and the mining industries also commit atrocities in the mining areas. In an ideal context, it is of great importance to end all forms of violence related to mining diamond regardless of the situations. What is apparent is that the impacts of diamond violence bring consequences that may adversely impact the lives of humans living in such mining areas as a result; the practice should be stopped (Ballentine and Sherman, 2003).
Child Labour
Children are often considered to be a foundation in economic labor. Thus, can often be engaged to work within various insertion mining industries. A few places in organizations, offspring craft to a large population of the staff. A study conducted on the extracting diamond in most of the mining places, it was noted to 47% are people aging amid 6-17 extracting diamond. For children working in diamond mines, life is not smooth for them. They work for lengthy daylight frequently seven otherwise six sunlight hours weekly. In comparison among adult workers, children working in these mines are more vulnerable to accidents and injuries. They are often given physically challenging task like digging using massive scoops otherwise transporting sacks with pebbly which may abscond individuals impairment otherwise into tenderness. Due to having petite range, offspring get to force towards undertaking largely hazardous performance like penetrating in contracted shafts placed before entering various ditches that landslides can take away individuals breathes (Ballentine and Sherman, 2003).
Most children involved in diamond mining do not attend school, hence in future; these children lack choices and end up being miners for entire life. Thus, working in diamond mines condemns most of the young children to a lifetime of working in mines and robs them a brighter future. For a brighter earth, every child needs to have a proper and adequate education. Thus, there should be various initiatives and programs that can help remove children from the diamond mines and make them attend schools. According to the report by Harvard International Human Rights Clinic in Sierra Leone, children start working in the gold mines as early as ten years and undertake backbreaking jobs under poor conditions where they obtain no compensation. Additionally, they lose their access to education and there exist extreme poverty among the children (Ballentine and Sherman, 2003).
Atmosphere
Because of pitiable regulation plus planning, extracting diamond causes ecological disaster all through the earth. However, damage to the environments is not inevitable and several ways of mitigating the menace should be adopted. Conflict diamond mining has to lead to ecological devastation. Poor and irresponsible mining of diamond has resulted in soil erosion, deforestation, and relocation of individuals to different places. Diamond mining does not care or protect stream and rivers. Conflict extractors of diamond often interchanged streams also have build barrages which picture riverbed for extraction causing the significant effect to wildlife and fish. In extreme conditions, conflict diamond mining may make the whole ecosystem to crumple (Chalecki, 2013).
Conflict diamond mining in Kono District in Sierra Leone has left several abandoned mining pits, topsoil gets eroded, wildlife vanished, and the land which was suitable for agriculture and farming has since become desolate moonscape. Such mining pits have lead to several health disasters in the region. When the mining pit get filled with rain water, mosquitoes affect them which spread malaria and other related diseases. There should be an accountable extracting diamond. Responsible diamond extracting is not destructive towards the ecosystem since it does not use toxic substances. Regardless of environmental risks associated with diamond mining, proper planning, and effective regulation can help minimize impacts of diamond mining within the affected regions (Chalecki, 2013).
Conclusion
What is evident is that conflict diamond mining has far reaching effects. It greatly affects the environment by creating environmental havoc such as soil erosion and deforestation. Conflict diamond also leads to child labor since children take an example as cheap labor and therefore utilized in mines. As a result, children lose focus in their future career since they stop going to school and take part in diamond mining. Moreover, working conditions are not favorable. Also, conflict diamond mining leads to untold violence in the mining region which poses a significant challenge to individuals staying in such regions. Thus, conflict mining is avoidable due to its negative impacts on the environment, child labor, and violence.