Zimbabwe has dismissed the allegations. Secretary for Information Nick Mangwana says the US has no evidence of this, and that Washington has been \u201cmisinformed or misled\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Marange mining region in the east of Zimbabwe is estimated to have one of the world\u2019s richest diamond reserves and is a vital revenue earner for a country in a dire economic straits.<\/p>\n
What is the US accusation?
\nThe US cites employment practices in which individuals seeking work in the mines bribe security officials to allow them inside the secure area.<\/p>\n
Once inside, according to Brenda Smith of the US Customs and Border Agency, workers are not permitted to leave, and those who resist are punished with physical\/sexual violence or arrest.<\/p>\n
The US government says it is \u201cwell documented\u201d.<\/p>\n
What is the evidence?
\nAccess for journalists and rights groups to these areas is highly restricted, with special authorisation required to gain access.<\/p>\n
A group that monitors employment practices at the Marange diamond mines has collected testimonies of forced labour practices.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Bocha Diamond Trust, Moses Mukwada, told the BBC there had been cases of villagers being rounded up and forced to work in the mines.<\/p>\n
Other groups, however, are more cautious.<\/p>\n
The Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG), an organisation that campaigns for rights in mining areas, says it has documented physical violence against miners, but doesn\u2019t have information that forced labour is prevalent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an organisation, we are not totally dismissing the issue [of forced labour], but we have no information [from the US government] and we would like to know who is forcing who,\u201d says Simiso Mlevu, a spokesperson for CNRG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Zimbabwe has dismissed the allegations. Secretary for Information Nick Mangwana says the US has no evidence of this, and that Washington has been \u201cmisinformed or misled\u201d. The Marange mining region in the east of Zimbabwe is estimated to have one of the world\u2019s richest diamond reserves and is a vital revenue earner for a country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":14960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[905,990,196],"class_list":{"0":"post-14959","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-community","9":"tag-cnrg","10":"tag-mangwana","11":"tag-mining"},"yoast_head":"\n