|
Was
your sparking diamond produced by child slaves or
polished by bonded children?
Was
your sparkling diamond mined by child slaves in Sierra
Leone?
Children
work as slaves in the diamond mines near Koidu Town, the
capital of the Kono district of the Republic of Sierra
Leone (ironically, a former British colony which was
established for freed West African slaves and which was
once the base for the Anti-Slavery Squadron of the Royal
Navy). There thousands of child slaves work
without pay for the mine barons.
The
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, was stunned
by the magnitude and scale of slavery which he saw in
the diamond mines. "I was horrified by what I
saw at the minefields", he said.
These
diamonds are not "blood diamonds" and are
readily exported to Antwerp and other locations where
they are polished and make their way to your local
department store or jeweler.
If
your diamond is a cheaper diamond or gem, was it cut or
polished by bonded children in India?
Less
expensive diamonds and gems are imported into India as
rough stones, which are cut or polished by
children. Much of the industry is based in the
State of Gujarat.
You
can assist by purchasing from those diamonds and gems
from companies which we support. As we receive
requests from around the world (from the USA to Iraq),
let us know what country you live in.
The
material in this report relating to Sierra Leone is
based on the report of the Special Representative of the
Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, and
the material relating to diamond and gem polishing in
India is based on the Mission to India by the Society's
Secretary-General.
|
Links
to other sites dealing with this issue:
UN
Under Secretary-General stunned by child slaves in
diamond mines
Links
to other pages dealing with consumer awareness:
Current
campaigns
Consumer
awareness
Goods
made by child labor
Chocolates
Diamonds
Carpets
made by child labor
Rugmark
Ethical
investment
Get
involved!
Fair
trade
Internet
links:
Office
of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict
The
Society is not responsible for the content of external
internet links
the
content of
external internet sites. |
