Fair Trade & Modern Day Slavery - join hands to Stop

The other day I took my daughter for her choir practice where they meet two or three times every week to rehearse for an hour. I was strolling in the school corridor looking at various displays, notices and bulletin boards while they were busy inside.

The fourth graders of this Swiss school had prepared a bulletin board based on their self-research and it was very impressive. I am glad that I stood there for few minutes as it made feel more about the plight of the farm workers. Being enlightened early in life about “Fair Trade Practices”, I am optimistic that these children will grow up to be a more socially responsible generation.

They have noted down the following for the banana plantation workers who gets the lowest reward for their efforts as per the banana split.

• Work for 14 hours a day in harsh weather conditions
• Have poor working condition
• Spray fertilizers and pesticides
• Cut down the bananas
• Carry heavy loads of bananas for washing
• Wash the bananas
• Cannot usually join a union

Banana Plantation is only an example but disparity exist in all types of export oriented trade, be it farming or manufacturing. The incident of Rana plaza in Bangladesh in 2013, had shocked the entire world but there are still thousands of other businesses where workers continue to endure hardship to maximize profits.  

I looked up on the Wikipedia for information about Fair trade. Fair trade is an institutional arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions. The philosophy and the core principles are very good. However, what is lacking is its implementation on ground. Licensing unfortunately doesn't help the farmers much, although it provides significant marketing advantage for the business owners.        

Fair trade is grounded in three core beliefs:

1. Producers have the power to express unity with consumers.
2. The world trade practices that currently exist promote the unequal distribution of wealth between nations.
3. Buying products from producers in developing countries at a fair price is a more efficient way of promoting sustainable development than traditional charity and aid.

Being a part of the CIOB, we take sustainable construction development very seriously. Construction is by far the largest industry in this world and we ensure that the supply chain selection process is rigorous. The message to the manufacturers is clear and unambiguous. Exploitation of their workforce will not be tolerated.

Will you be joining hands to stop this modern day slavery!  

Slavery - It's a Present Continuous Tense

This week I read the news story of a Burmese man called Myint Naing who got reunited with his family after 22 long years. He had been tricked by a broker offering a job in Thailand in 1993, when he was only 19 years old and desperate for money. But instead he ended up being sold to become one of the approximately 200,000 slaves working in the Asian fishing industry.

His escape brought back memories of a book named Papillon, which narrated an enduring escape story from Devil’s Island in French Guiana by a convict called Henri Charriere. The escape of Myint from his captivators must have been no less daring. But he was neither a convict nor will he be able to make millions selling the rights of his story. Despite that Myint is luckier than those left behind.

Slavery is not new to this world and African slave trade is one such example, where people were caught, herded as cattle to be bought and sold as slaves to the western households and farms.  The Church of England issued an apology for their role in slavery ahead of commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished slave trade in England.

"The profits from the slave trade were part of the bedrock of our country's industrial development," Thomas Butler, the bishop of Southwark, said in a speech before the vote. "Many people and institutions in every part of the country were complicit in the transatlantic slave trade; and I have to say that this includes the Church of England."

Even as this system was being abolished, it ensured that interests of slave owners were not undermined.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4694896.stm  As the slaves were liberated in 1833, compensation was paid to owners and not to slaves. In one case, the bishop of Exeter and three business colleagues received handsome payments of nearly £13,000 for 665 slaves they had to free.

While the Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, English and French slave traders were often brutal, they were not always working alone — many Africans were also complicit in this victimisation.

Why did I bring up this subject?  Well the answer lies in Myint’s story. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/former-slave-myint-naing-reunited-with-his-family-after-22-years-at-sea-10359536.html   Many of the companies where people like Myint have to work rely on slaves to supply fish to the USA, Europe and Japan. To keep the prices affordable in the developed nations these men work for up to 24 hours a day and have to survive on boiled sea water and bit of rice.

Many flung themselves overboard rather than keep living as slaves.

Slavery was Then and it still exists Now. It will continue to do so till people remain poor and vulnerable while their governments remain selfish caring for the benefits of the leaders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_century