Abstract

Diamonds in Venezuela- Alex Bustamante




Diamonds are known to be Mother Nature’s most luxurious creation. They serve to make one look elegant and classy. But who would have known that there is a black marker for diamonds. In Venezuela many of the countries people find it hard to make a living, especially in a corrupt country. Illegal mining is an option for many citizens of Venezuela. It is a better option than many take instead of an actual job it also pays more than one.
The one problem is that most of these diamonds end up in the hands of smugglers. To worsen things “Venezuela has voluntarily suspended exports and imports of rough diamonds until further noticed.” In other words Venezuela no longer imports/exports legitimate diamonds. This was stated on the Kimberley Process website as of late 2008. The Kimberly Process is a UN organization that watches over the diamond trade. They try and stop the trade of conflict (blood) diamonds. In a recent letter to the chairman of the Kimberley Process, Venezuela stated that they will, “separate from the Kimberley Process for a period of two years.” The reason behind was also stated, Venezuela annexing from the Kimberley Process was because Venezuela supposedly could not keep up with the organizations requirements. They have also stated that they needed to work on a huge country plan. If this illegal trading doesn’t stop then this could be the beginning of something horrific. It may end up being as bad as the civil wars in Sierra Leone, which created hundreds of thousands of refugees and left many dead.