c. 2000 Religion News Service

(Dale Hanson Bourke is the mother of two teen-age sons and the author of five books.)

(UNDATED) They sparkle from our ears and adorn our fingers. They have come to represent the epitome of love and romance. A diamond, as they say, is forever.

Americans are especially fond of these gems, consuming more than half of all diamonds purchased in the world. A young man is encouraged to spend two months’ salary on an adequate engagement ring. Later he will discover anniversaries are for tennis bracelets, stud earrings and, eventually, a diamond eternity ring to prove his lasting devotion.

But what Americans are discouraged from thinking about are where these baubles originate. Said one diamond industry representative, “The last thing you want your customers to think about when they enter the jewelry store is Africa.”

Last week a number of children came to Congress to provide a graphic example of the true cost of diamonds. Survivors of the ongoing rebel war in Sierra Leone, many appeared without limbs to tell their story of the mutilation rampant in their diamond-rich country.

“The war is not tribal, and it is not religious,” said Muctarr Jalloh, president of the amputee camp in Freetown who accompanied the children. “It is simply a war over control of diamonds. Little pieces of rock that people around the world like to wear on their fingers and hang from their ears. As you can see, because of these rocks, I no longer have an ear or five of my fingers.”

A special report, “Diamond Wars” was published last spring in The New York Times. According to the article, “… the glittering stones have become agents of slave labor, murder, dismemberment, mass homelessness and wholesale economic collapse.”

Diamonds are easily hidden in their raw state and smuggled across borders routinely. Many sources claim Sierra Leone’s diamonds are mostly passed through neighboring Liberia, where the president is close friends with Sierra Leone’s rebel leader. From there, they find their way to a middle man and most eventually go to De Beers, the conglomerate controlling most of the world’s trade in diamonds.

De Beers has such a hold on the world’s diamonds that they have been indicted in the United States for antitrust violations and price fixing, according to The New York Times. Because of that, company executives do not enter the United States.

Not all diamonds come from war-torn countries. Some countries, like Botswana, use their diamond mines to supply legitimate employment and much-needed government income. The country has invested in schools, roads and communication systems for its people. But sadly, Botswana is an exception.

Because the United States is responsible for more diamond consumption than any other country, Congress is now considering a bill that would at least identify the source of all diamonds entering the country. Called the Consumer Access to Responsible Account for Trading (CARAT), HR 5147 is cosponsored by Reps. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga.

Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, is an outspoken supporter of the bill as well as other measures to keep diamonds from fueling the wars in Africa.

Speaking to the World Diamond Congress in July he said, “My government does not want to regulate 850 million diamonds; it wants suffering in Africa to end.” Noting the United States has spent $2 billion over the last decade in aid to war-torn African nations, he said $10 billion in “conflict diamonds” were smuggled out of the countries during the same period.

He has called upon the diamond industry to use some of the money they would have paid in taxes and tariffs if they had purchased diamonds from legitimate governments to fund micro-credit projects and humanitarian efforts in countries like Sierra Leone.

But Hall’s biggest stick came from the threat of what would happen if average citizens began to understand the link between diamonds and mutilated children.

“I do not need to draw the comparison between fur and the luxury products you sell … or list the growing number of press reports about conflict diamonds,” he said.

What can we really do about the problems of Africa? The average citizen can call or e-mail your representative to express concern over this problem and ask for a positive vote on the measure. But even more directly, try this: Next time you pass a jewelry store, stop in to admire the beautiful diamonds. Then simply ask the manager where the diamonds come from and how you would know that your purchase would not be contributing to rebels chopping off the arms of innocent children.

My guess is that if a growing number of consumers asked that simple question, change would come for the children of Sierra Leone.

DEA END BOURKE