Labor Trafficking and Trade
DOL Commits $59 Million to End Child Labor
Published October 01, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT
It's nice to see a government agency putting their money where their reports and public statements are (for once). Following up their in-depth report identifying consumer goods made by child and/or forced labor in a number of countries, the Department of Labor has now committed $59 million dollars in grants to help end those practices and remove victims to safety. You can't see it, but I'm having a personal little party right now.
Here's how the breakdown of dollars went regionally:
- Africa: $20.4 million
- Latin America: $15.8 million
- Asia: $15.3 million
The rest of the funds will go to research and the development of a best practices model to prevent child labor. While I'm usually a fan of anything that channels more money to my often-ignored and under-funded friend Africa, I have to question their distribution between Africa and Asia. While Africa has some incredibly serious child trafficking and forced labor issues to address, the industries in Asia which enslave children and workers are much more diverse. Plus, the sheer logistics of getting to rural areas in Asian countries is much harder based on their size, and rural areas is where most of the exploitation is taking place. Arguably, African countries will be less able to put forth their own funds than relatively wealthier Asian countries like India and China, but I would still reconsider the expense of implementing a diversity of programs in the vast rural regions of Asia. It's going to be a huge undertaking.
But despite my difference of opinion on the funding allocations, I'm still celebrating. The reason for my party is that unlike previous administrations, <cough> Bush <cough>, it's good to see that the DOL under Secretary Solis isn't going to talk a big game and then sit on the cash and refuse to take any concrete action. The DOL is also modeling a behavior that we as consumers should pay attention to: if you say you care about this issue, be willing to pay for it. That means we have to be willing to spend a little more for t-shirts, coffee, rugs, and everything else that is made without child or forced labor. But if we're all willing to pay a little more, than no one has to pay a lot, especially enslaved children.
Dear San Francisco: "Sell Crack or Die" Isn't a Real Choice
Published September 28, 2009 @ 02:00PM PT
Dear San Francisco Superior Court Jury,
After hearing of your recent decision convicting an apparent trafficking victim of selling drugs at gunpoint, I felt compelled to write to you about the concept of control, since it is apparently a foreign concept to you. Should you care to look it up, the definition is here, but I can summarize by saying one person controls another when he has the power to direct or determine that other person's thoughts and/or actions. One example of full and coercive control you may have heard of is the institution of human trafficking, aka modern-day slavery. Since human trafficking has recently been the subject of a Lifetime mini-series, several feature films, and a New York Times series, I will assume that you have not been, in fact, living under rocks and have heard of it.
What you apparently don't understand, based on the explanations you gave of your recent decision that Rigoberto Valle is guilty of being a drug dealer and not a human trafficking victim, is how modern-day slavery works. In modern-day slavery, a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to exploit someone's labor under violence or the threat of violence. Now I don't know if you've ever been forced to do something at gun-point or knife-point (as Mr. Valle described his interaction with his traffickers), but it greatly reduces your bargaining power. If your trafficker holds a gun to your head and says "pick tomatoes," you pick tomatoes over being shot. If he holds a knife to your chest and says "have sex with this man", you have sex over being stabbed. And if he threatens to shoot or stab you if you don't sell crack, well, then you sell crack.
What most trafficking victims don't have the power to do is tell the trafficker "I'm sorry, I'd prefer for you to enslave me in a legal industry, so if I get caught in a police sting, there won't be any confusion as to who was in the wrong." If they can do that, they probably can escape trafficking. So, when you say,
"To me, it came down to that he knew what he was doing was illegal. I don't think he honestly cared,"
I have to disagree. I think he cared a great deal not to be shot, arrested, or deported. I think he cared that he was being forced to do something dangerous and illegal in a country where he didn't understand the legal system. I think he cared not to put his family into further debt. Did he "choose" selling crack over death? Can that really be considered a choice?
I did not sit and listen to two lawyers hash this case out as you did, so perhaps this was not the miscarriage of justice it seems to be. Perhaps Mr. Valle was guilty of selling drugs of his own free will and wove a well-crafted lie about being a pawn in an international organized criminal syndicate to get out of going to jail. I can't say for sure that he's innocent. I can, however, say for sure that trafficking victims are enslaved every day in both legal and illegal industries. Some victims in illegal industries like prostitution and drug-selling are recognized by law enforcement for what they are: innocent people forced to do something against their will. But too often they are arrested as prostitutes or drug dealers or illegal immigrants and deported. The "sell crack or die defense" isn't just a defense -- it's a reality for some trafficking victims.
So, San Francisco Superior Court Jury, when you say you wanted to find Mr. Valle not guilty, I ask you to look deep inside and ask yourselves why you didn't. Was it really easier to believe him capable of inventing a story about evil traffickers forcing him to sell crack than to believe men were capable of enslaving him as a drug-dealer? Or was it easier to think that because he was a grown man, he should have been able to fight back? Was it easier to think that because he was an immigrant who had entered the country illegally, he could have committed other crimes as well? Thinking about human trafficking in a real and meaningful way is rarely easy. And neither are the lives of its victims, no matter what they are forced to do.
Photo credit: Marco Gomes
Where to Buy Fair Trade Tea Online
Published September 23, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT
Fair Trade certified tea is one of the few Fair Trade products that's now becoming widely available in grocery stores around the U.S. However, some stores or some areas may still stock limited selections of Fair Trade tea. With Fall closing in, now is a great time to stock up on ethically produced teas that aren't made with the use of slavery. These teas are warm, healthy, good for the producers and in most cases good for the environment too. So check out Fair Trade tea at your local grocery store or any of these online vendors.
Rishi Tea: These organic, Fair Trade teas are available on their website or in stores at locations around the U.S. Plus, the website has great information about where their teas come from and how they are harvested and produced.
Equal Exchange: Their online store has a broad selection of both bagged and loose teas, which you can order through their retail store. Faith-based organizations wanting to buy wholesale tea at reduced prices can shop through their Interfaith Store.
Choice Organic Teas: Not all their teas are Fair Trade, but all are organic and they have a large selection of Fair Trade certified teas. Plus, they've got a blog about all things tea for the totally tea-obsessed.
Arbor Teas: Free shipping on Fair Trade tea orders over $60 is a great deal, and Arbor Teas has it. They only stock loose leaf teas, so this site isn't for fans of the bag.
Leaf Spa: They have a great collection of loose teas, including some interesting flavors that are a little out of the ordinary.
Fair Trade tea is pretty easy to find on the Internet, but the above are a few places to get you started. By making a choice to buy Fair Trade tea, you vote with your cash against slavery and exploitation and for fair labor conditions for workers in the tea industry. And what could be more delicious than that?
Photo credit: naama
How to Teach Global Trade Inequality With Soccer
Published September 21, 2009 @ 03:00PM PT
If you've ever tried to teach a group of kids (or even adults!) how globalized trade systems have become unfair and exploitative, then you've probably discovered who in the class snores the loudest. The topic needs a wake-up call, and so Fair Trade Sports and Oxfam have come up with a variation on soccer that teaches kids about inequalities of the global market while they have fun.
The idea behind the game is simple: two teams representing the Global South and the Global North start out playing soccer on a "fair and even" playing field. Both sides have the same equipment and have to follow the same rules. A few minutes in, however, referees (representing the World Trade Organization) start making new rules in the name of "free trade" that give one team a huge competitive advantage over the other. For example, they might enlarge the goal defended by the Global South team to illustrate how poor countries are forced to open their markets to imports or send the best players from the Global South team to the Global North team to symbolize flow of high-skill jobs to wealthier countries. The game instructions include discussion questions to guide the soccer players through their experiences after the fact and information on how to buy a Fair Trade soccer ball. And this game is part of a larger curriculum for teaching kids about Fair Trade issues.
I love this game for a number of reasons. First, it takes a huge, complex issue like global trade inequality and breaks it down into ideas that kids can understand -- fair and unfair rules in a game. It engages them actively both physically and emotionally in the process and helps them empathize with people who are not always on "the winning team" internationally. Nobody likes to lose, but losing is especially painful when the rules were unfair. In one generation, we could change the rules and make them more fair. We could see a generation emerge who see human trafficking and exploited labor in consumer goods the same way children see new and arbitrary rules in an old favorite game: a gross injustice that must be immediately corrected. As consumers, our habits, preferences, and expectations are set from a young age; the older we get, the harder it becomes to change. Imagine if the next generation of children grew up thinking as much about where the stuff they buy comes from and how it's produced as price, quality, and coolness.
While this game and curriculum are made for children, I know a few adults who might benefit from this lesson and enjoy the game, too. After all, you're never to old to stretch your assumptions or grow your mind. And you're never too old for a nice game of soccer.
Photo credit: chipgriffin
David Batsone and Manpower, Inc. Team Up To Fight Trafficking
Published September 16, 2009 @ 01:00PM PT
World renowned journalist and anti-trafficking leader and activist David Batsone talks about the abolitionist efforts of Manpower, Inc. -- a super corporate ally in the fight against trafficking -- and the Not for Sale Campaign's upcoming Global Forum on Human Trafficking, where you can meet David Arkless of Manpower, Inc.
Like many of you, I travel quite frequently for work. And as I traipse about from one country to the next, I rarely take into consideration the various regulations that so many individuals must maneuver through when traveling abroad in search of employment. Individuals who have not been met with the same background, opportunities, and international status that life has so afforded me. As a business professional with an American passport and well established career, issues of contract, sponsorship, and work visas hardly ever cross my mind.
Recently I shared a cuppa joe with David Arkless, President of Government and Corporate Relations for Manpower, Inc., the world's leading employment agency. While David, like myself, rarely has to consider work contracts or restrictions on his personal movement across the globe, he is continuously striving to better understand the experience of those who do. He knows what the global talent pool looks like today: the industries that need it, the recruiters that find it, and the regulations that police it. As President of Government and Corporate Relations for the global leader and industry icon of labor recruiting, David is in an elite group of individuals who truly understand what the future of global labor will look like. He also understands how the laws regulating each country's labor recruiting can create ambiguity where coercive and manipulative labor recruiters find opportunity to thrive.
I am no stranger to the inspiring efforts of Manpower, Inc, first learning about their work while researching for my book, "Saving the Corporate Soul." I was impressed to discover Manpower's substantial commitment to combat human trafficking, where they've done so globally through the creation of the "Athens Ethical Principles."
In today's corporate world it is not uncommon for a company to create a major campaign to address a social issue. But it is rare to see a company take on an issue as extreme as human trafficking, and even more rare when that issue is intrinsically tied to that company's industry (a substantial amount of documented trans-national labor trafficking cases involve corruption, coercion, or misconduct by a labor recruiter on some level). Not only has David Arkless put Manpower at the forefront of the fight on human trafficking, but he is actively recruiting from the top 1,000 corporate leaders across the globe to join them in this fight.
During my brief coffee with David, I was inundated with enough ideas to fill another three books on labor trafficking alone. I left that meeting increasingly certain of two things. First, that we must look to the models set forth by David Arkless and Manpower if we are to end the exploitative labor practices of fraudulent recruiters within labor industries across our globe. And secondly, that I want every business person I've met to hear David present on the issues of labor in our world and the future of the global talent pool.
I am so pleased to offer you an opportunity to do the latter. This October 8th and 9th you can join David Arkless, along with the leading global experts on combating modern-day slavery, at the first Global Forum on Human Trafficking presented by the Not For Sale Campaign and Humanity United. David will present alongside individuals like Lou DeBaca, Ambassador-at-large to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking in the U.S. State Department. I hope you can join me at this momentous event. After seeing the inspiration a single cup of coffee with David Arkless can hold, I can only imagine the impact of an entire forum!
Photo credit: kwalk628
Why the UN is Too Pessimistic About a Rise in Trafficking
Published September 12, 2009 @ 09:00AM PT
Not everyone has the ovaries to do this, but I'm gonna disagree with the UN. According to a new UN report, crappy world conditions like global recession, female infanticide, and poverty will breed more crappy world conditions like human trafficking into a big depressing spiral. Sure, things are rough and might get a little rougher, but here's why I think that despite the bump in exploitation the recession will initially bring, the future looks rosier than the UN claims.
1. We're getting over our obsession with sex (trafficking). The UN points out that many countries are still struggling to identify and help victims of labor trafficking, even if they've gotten pretty good at finding slaves in commercial sex. But all over the world, NGOs and governments are starting to expand their focus to include labor trafficking victims as well as sex trafficking victims. It's a long way to an equal or even proportional labor/sex focus, but we're moving in the right direction.
2. We're finally getting the idea of domestic trafficking. The past three years have seen a significant increase in awareness in many countries that human trafficking is not just about foreign people being moved across borders, but about anyone being enslaved or exploited anywhere. Countries like the U.S., China, and Brazil with huge internal trafficking problems are finally starting to address them.
3. Legislation is being created and improved. Countries from Japan to Nigeria are creating new and better legislation to prevent trafficking, identify and protect victims, and prosecute the traffickers. Yes, there are still some gaping holes in a lot of the laws, but there are also laws where there were none before. And that's improvement.
Sure, it will be an uphill battle over the next few years, but who's to say that won't just result in some well-toned glutes and a healthy appreciation for the challenge. I think the UN is forgetting how much progress we've made and only focusing on how much we have to go. So chin up and smile and little, UN. You might just find that a positive attitude is the first step to progress.
Photo credit: Optimism by billaday
Victory: Chipotle, Tomato Growers Commit to End Slavery
Published September 11, 2009 @ 06:20AM PT
Once again, Change.org members have spoken and a company has listened! Yesterday marked a huge victory for workers in the Florida tomato industry -- both the East Coast Growers and Packers company and Chipotle have agreed to work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) to implement penny-per-pound wage increases, supply chain transparency, and a code of conduct that prevents slavery. Thanks to the hundreds of Change.org members who sent letters to Chipotle asking them to take a stand against slavery!
Last week, Chipotle gave a detailed response to the petitions Change.org members were sending them, which was both sophisticated and honest (and therefore rare to hear from a corporate PR statement). They explained one of the problems in the very complicated tomato industry was that the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (FTGE), a special-interest group for the industry, was blocking the payment mechanism, so Chipotle had no guarantee their extra money was actually reaching the workers. This week, however, East Coast Growers and Packers, one of Florida's largest tomato growers, agreed to pass on the cash and work with Chipotle and CIW. FTGE, which controlls massive portions of the industry, still hasn't removed their heads from their butts in order to talk with CIW, but I'm hoping the smell -- or a little more Change.org activism -- will drive them out soon.
This victory is huge not just because it will help prevent slavery and exploitation of tomato harvesters, but because the engagement of growers means that many companies have lost their excuse for inaction -- the claim that they couldn't know if they money was actually getting to the workers. Now, companies like Publix, Kroger, Sodexo, Aramark, Wendy's, Quizno's, Costco, and WalMart who have been shirking their basic responsibilties to support human rights and fair pay are on the hook for real; they better stand up against slavery or face the floods of petitions coming from the Change.org community.
You can thank and congratulate CIW, East Coast Growers and Packers, and Chipotle with a comment here. And you can also enjoy a thick, juicy burrito knowing that you're buying and biting into a company that stands with workers and against slavery ... with integrity.
Photo credit: Chipotle by Sunset by Soundman1024
