With Valentine's Day a few days behind us, let's have some straight talk about diamonds. For many lovebirds, diamonds are the perfect expression of affection. Through catchy advertising, jewelry companies all over the U.S. have convinced us that diamonds are the ultimate symbol of love and lasting happiness. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? But if we take a moment to consider the lives of people who mine our diamonds, we realize the picture is not so romantic. Did you know 250 tons of earth are mined to produce a single one-carat diamond? [Diamond Development Initiative]
That earth doesn’t move itself; there are a lot of people involved in the excavation and processing of all those symbolic rocks. And did you know that the United States comprises 40 percent of the world’s diamond market? That’s nearly half [gia.edu]! China and India are also major players, with demand increasing each year [Forbes].
On the supply side, most of the world’s raw diamonds come from African countries. Russia and Canada also produce a large portion of the global supply [geology.com]. But no matter where you live in the world, it’s important for consumers to know the circumstances under which many diamond miners work.
Let’s start with artisanal mining, also called alluvial mining. This type of small-scale mining (unlike pit mining) unearths diamonds that have been carried over millions of years by wind and water to their current positions [Business Insider]. In this industry, 13 million people around the world labor manually with simple tools and equipment [Diamond Development Initiative]. But alluvial mining affects not just those 13 million workers directly; an additional 80 to 100 million people in mining communities rely on this industry as well [Diamond Development Initiative]. Because this type of mining usually takes place in the informal sector, it escapes much of the legal framework that regulates human rights in the more visible part of the supply chain. In the absence of the proper regulatory framework, workers’ lives are at stake; even when laws exist, the small-scale nature of the mining makes them challenging to apply. For this reason, alluvial mining is the most likely form of mining to use forced or child labor. Human rights infractions in the diamond supply chain overall include low or no pay, dangerous working conditions, child labor, forced labor, violence, and the fueling of conflict.
Diamond miners in the informal (small-scale) sector produce 15 percent of the world’s diamonds, yet they make only about one dollar per day. That means about a million workers in Africa live off one dollar each day, no matter how much they dig [Brilliant Earth]. Additionally, independent miners lack access to global markets, so they have no choice but to sell to middle-men at below market prices. Living in poverty, mining communities often lack access to running water and sanitation, and they suffer from hunger, illiteracy, and a high rate of infant mortality. Further, these long-term problems exist alongside the daily hazards of diamond mining. Diamond miners work with the dangers of mudslides, collapsing walls, and the risk of drowning. Unfortunately, many diamond miners lack the safety equipment and proper tools they need. Making matters worse, small-scale mining is too often conducted without training or expertise.
Think about it…
Consider these unsafe working conditions, and add children to the equation. Child labor is a huge problem in the informal diamond mining sector, especially during wartime. One survey revealed that 46% of miners in the Lunda Norte province of Angola were between 5 and 16 years old [Brilliant Earth]. Health and safety risks aside, a child’s time working in the mines is also time not working in school. Miners use children to reach small, narrow spaces, putting them in life-threatening positions. Child labor has been evident in Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone as well as Angola.
Children are exploited not only in the excavation part of the supply chain, but also in the cutting and polishing stage. Child labor is believed to be w