What's This All About?
ABOUT THE ISSUE / ABOUT THE PIN

Conflict diamonds (also called blood diamonds) fuel conflict, civil wars and human rights abuses. They have been responsible for funding recent conflicts in Africa which resulted in the death and displacement of millions of people. During these conflicts, profits from the illegal trade in diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by warlords and rebels to buy arms.

An estimated 3.7 million people have died in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia, and Sierra Leone in conflicts fueled by diamonds.

While the wars in Angola and Sierra Leone are now over and fighting in the DRC has decreased, the problem of conflict diamonds hasn't gone away.

Despite the fact that an international diamond certification scheme called the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was launched in 2003, conflict diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire are finding their way through Ghana into the legitimate diamond market. As the brutal conflict in Sierra Leone has shown, even a small amount of conflict diamonds can wreak enormous havoc in a country.

Between 1991 and 2002 over 50,000 people were killed, over 2 million displaced within the country or made refugees, and thousands mutilated, raped and tortured. Today, Sierra Leone is still recovering from the consequences of the conflict.

For more information on the issue:

> visit the Amnesty International site's conflict diamonds section as well as the Artists for Amnesty Blood Diamond page, which both contain extensive information and news on the issue

> visit the site of Global Witness, a partner organization working on conflict diamonds

> we also highly recommend Tom Zoellner's book The Heartless Stone, a beautifully written extensive investigation on the subject

ABOUT THE PIN

The Blood Diamond Pin is an initiative to increase awareness about conflict diamonds and raise funds for the victims of diamond-fueled violence.

Proceeds from the sale of these brass pins go to Amnesty International's fund for the rehabilitation of child soldiers. Amnesty International, a member of the Coalition Against the Use of Child Soldiers, administers the funds to service providers on the ground, including the IRC and World Vision. These organizations provide support for rehabilitation shelters, medical services and psychological and reintegration services.

The Blood Diamond Pin was created pro bono by Alessandra Gallo Jewellery with designer Kristin Keller for Amnesty International USA. A heartful thanks to Warner Bros. Studios for their active support and involvement.

A limited edition of 18k gold pins was produced for the Academy Awards® and worn at the ceremony and at later events by artists supporting Amnesty International's work on the issue. Amnesty International USA is a proud supporter of the film Blood Diamond. We are extremely grateful to Artists for Amnesty, a program of Amnesty International USA, for making this project happen.