Jewelry Companies Should Source Responsibly

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The holiday season is finally here. A time some of us plan to spend celebrate with family and friends.

Giving gifts this holiday may be even more special because the Covid-19 has kept many of us apart.

But since the start of the pandemic, more children are working in some gold and diamond mining areas because their families have lost their livelihoods.

Illegal mining has continued or even increased in some places because officials have reduced their inspections.

Mines based underground have become more unsafe because Covid-19 can spread easily.

Jewelry companies need to source responsibly. We are monitoring them.

All jewelry and watch companies need to ensure their supply chains are traceable, transparent, and checked for human rights risks.

Next time you buy jewelry, ask the retailer if they are sourcing responsibly.

(London, November 24, 2020) – Major jewelry companies are improving their sourcing of gold and diamonds, but most cannot assure consumers that their jewelry is untainted by human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today in advance of the holiday shopping season.

The 84-page report, “Sparkling Jewels, Opaque Supply Chains: Jewelry Companies, Changing Sourcing Practices, and Covid-19,” scrutinizes and gives rankings to 15 jewelry and watch brands in their efforts to prevent and address human rights abuses and environmental harm in their gold and diamond supply chains. Human Rights Watch reviewed the companies’ actions since Human Rights Watch first reported on these issues in 2018. While a majority of the jewelry companies examined have taken some steps to improve their practices, most still fall short of meeting international standards. 

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