a valentine from debbie downer

[ valentines day / diamonds / awareness ]

with valentine's day approaching, we've all seen the barrage of television ads enticing and imploring us to buy diamond jewelry for our loved ones.

but... the international diamond trade has supplied billions of dollars to rebel groups in africa, fueling wars that have killed more than 4 million people.

this valentine's day, tell wal-mart to make sure jewelry purchases aren't destroying african lives.

the stories from these wars are harrowing.

men, women, and children have been raped, tortured, maimed, and displaced by rebel groups who have been funded in part by the illegal sale of diamonds. diamonds have also been used by al Qaeda and other terrorists to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes, according to news reports.

as public outrage over conflict diamonds has grown, governments and industry leaders have taken some important steps to stem their trade. but the problem still isn't solved: for example, diamonds mined in rebel-held areas of the ivory C=coast are still being smuggled into the legitimate global market despite a U.N. embargo in place since 2005.

this has contributed in part to the displacement of families i have gotten to know my work in south providence. it has also lead to the death of some of their loved ones.

and while the world diamond council has spent millions on a global public-relations campaign, many companies have failed to match their rhetoric with action - including wal-mart, the nation's largest jewelry retailer, which has been particularly vague about its processes for ensuring that conflict diamonds are not sold in its stores.

if retailers and diamond companies are truly serious, they must implement comprehensive and independently verified processes to ensure that the diamonds they buy are conflict-free.

and as American consumers - who purchase half of all retail diamonds worldwide - we have an obligation to let the industry know we care about where they're getting their diamonds.

click here to send a message to wal-mart and the world diamond council, calling for meaningful action to end the trade in conflict diamonds.

so i guess as you consider how to celebrate valentine's day this year, remember these words...

"There is gold, and abundance of costly stones; but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel." - Proverbs 20:15