Over fifty-plus years ago a lucrative partnership between the diamond company De Beers and the government of Botswana was formed to run the country’s diamond mines. And while the United Nations has hailed the partnership as an African success story, The Fuller Project reports that women who work in the sector are being abused, exploited and treated like modern day slaves. 

The “good pupil” in class 

According to Hans Merket from the International Peace Information Service, if you ask somebody to tell a positive story about diamonds, the first thing they point to is Botswana. And due to this skewed perception, problems with corruption, safety and exploitation have been overlooked or ignored for years. Most workers in the polishing sector are women, hired on short-term contracts with few rights or benefits. That means they have little to no protection if their rights are being abused.  

One woman working in the sector who wished to remain anonymous said:  

“They treat us like slaves, they don’t care about our lives.”   

The investigation found fine dust particles are causing coughing and sickness. Corrosive chemicals are being used with bare hands. Black dust from the diamonds is covering workers’ faces at the end of their shifts. And the workplaces are infested with rats, whose feces are regularly found in the shift meal provided by the company. On top of all that, one woman reported being repeatedly sexually assaulted, and others said they were routinely sexually harassed. 

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