Blood diamonds not eradicated

SADLY Stephen Turner's confidence that blood diamonds do not enter the UK market is almost certainly misplaced (Business, 7 February). Global Witness has been working on this issue for over a decade and, despite some progress, links between high street stones and the appalling suffering visited upon citizens of conflict-ridden countries remain.

The introduction of the Kimberley Process (KP) in 2003 to monitor and regulate the international diamond trade was a positive step, but it has not eradicated blood diamonds altogether. Loopholes, patchy implementation and a lack of political will mean that abuses continue and tainted gems are still entering the supply chain. KP participant Zimbabwe is still exporting diamonds despite evidence of widespread human rights abuses and militarisation in eastern mines, while conflict diamonds continue to be smuggled out of Cote d'Ivoire and into world markets in spite of UN sanctions.

Mr Turner says his trade contacts would be horrified by association with such brutality. While his sincerity is not in doubt, the stakes are too high and problems too evident for reliance on an honour code. Instead, consumers must pressurise the industry to implement more effective systems to trace and eliminate conflict diamonds from the international trade, so Valentine's Day lovers do not find themselves unwittingly bankrolling brutality.

Elly Harrowell, diamonds campaigner, Global Witness