Micaela+-+ASID+-+SP13

Resume: My name is Linda Moisés da Rosa. I represent the Kimberley process for Angola. I used to be just a woman living in my village, but when my sons were killed by rebels, I decided to take a stand and try to show people what is going on in my country. Soldiers descended on a mining facility in Angola. When they would not leave, the soldiers collapsed the mines and buried about 45 men, including one of my sons. Another time, soldiers and my other son got into a dispute over mining, but the soldiers allowed it to happen in exchange for $30 a day. My son failed to pay so the soldiers killed him with a machete.

Angola is the fifth largest diamond producing country in the world and the diamonds are often coveted for their size and purity. My country is divided into 18 provinces and the population is about 11.5 million. My country’s religions are mostly indigenous and Christian. Oil is the biggest production of Angola, as well as diamonds. Blood diamonds are a huge source of money for rebel groups. They illegally mine the diamonds and sell them for weapons to attack the government.

The people who are taking advantage of my government are looking for blood diamonds that they plan to mine illegally. It is very dangerous for the environment. It can cause entire ecosystem to collapse, soil erosion, deforestation, and forced local populations to relocate. For the people living in the areas, there is a higher chance of waterborne illness and malaria because the pits from erosion fill with water and mosquitoes breed. The rebel groups sell these diamonds to companies who are unaware that they are illegal and use the profit to take military action against the government. Angola is one of the main countries in Africa that involved in this. Many of the countries are wary of changing the policies for human rights.

My government is being taken advantage of by rebel groups and there is a program called the Kimberley process that's trying to stop it. It's an industry-wide effort to prevent commerce in rough diamonds by insurgent groups. It's praised for focusing on human rights. A result of this process is that diamond companies will only buy diamonds if they are certified by internationally recognized governments. This cut the finances for the rebels. Organizations that support Angola Global witness is an organization that believes that the money from diamonds and other exports(about 400 billion) is too often used for military funding when it could be used to help millions of people out of poverty. The aim of this organization is to stop the mining of blood diamonds and violence as a result.

"Stop blood diamonds" is an organization that is trying to raise awareness about blood diamonds to the buyers of diamonds. They explain that blood diamonds cause violence and should not be bought.

Human Rights Watch is an organization that focuses more on the people mining the diamonds. They are raising awareness that miners don't benefit from diamond production and usually work in bad conditions for small pay.

Works Cited

"The Embassy of the Republic of Angola - History." The Embassy of the Republic of Angola - History. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

"Environment." Brilliant Earth. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

"The Wall Street Journal." The 'Blood Diamond' Resurfaces. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.