Child Slavery…Did You Get Your Chocolate Bar For Free?
July 16, 2008 | 4 Comments
I’m a recovering chocoholic. I broke my one chocolate bar a day habit while I was pregnant for my 2nd child. By a strange course of mercy, I developed a strong dislike for chocolate while carrying that baby. In fact, chocolate tasted like quinine. I call it mercy, because aside from that change in my culinary tastes, I would have gained another 30+ pounds from my continued indulgence.
While struggling to break the habit of a chocolate bar a day..(or let’s be honest…more) I became aware of how powerful an addiction to anything can be. Anything that takes away your independent will to make a decision is a form of enslavement. I was addicted to caffeine and breaking free would require the thing I craved to become a ‘bitter taste’ in my mouth.
In reality, the dark underground that swirls around the underbelly of the cocoa trade in some portions of the west African coast is also slavery…albeit a far more destructive form of human entrapment, the horrible reality of child enslavement. Of the estimated 300,000 kids working in the cocoa plantations of sub Saharan Africa, approximately 6% of those employed in the Ivory Coast are suspected to be employed through slave labor. The actual numbers range from 12,000 ~ 15,000 kids in the nation of Ivory Coast alone.
According to this compendium of articles, Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa. It’s the place where the big players go to get their supplies. A 2002 report by Oxfam indicates that companies like Argill, Cadbury, Hersheys and Nestle buy their cocoa from commodities exchanges where Ivory Coast cocoa is mixed with other cocoa and sold on the world market.
In a well researched article on CNN Money by Christian Parenti entitled “Chocolate’s Bittersweet Economy” Parenti highlights the enormity of the problem in a country which supplies about 70% of the worlds cocoa. It is a complex issue which involves the role of government, world markets, big business, extreme poverty and yes…Slavery.
But, it also involves each of us…YOU & I the consumer of these products. For in the final analysis the market determines the eventual course of most economic entities. Although slavery is not legal, the practise continues to exist because in simple terms…it can. Focusing attention and bringing the spotlight to bear exposes the truth in it’s harshest terms.
A BBC report on Child Slavery points out that the problem is world wide and includes Asia, the nation of Haiti, Africa, the Middle East and in some parts of South America. It is not that parents do not love their children; in most cases they are forced to sell their children out of the desperation which comes with abject poverty.
BUT, we err if we sit back and pass judgement and merely look on with consternation. Because, the system needs an outlet. Apart from a buyer, the entire house of card collapses. The price of cocoa on the world commodities market is based largely on the price the western world is willing pay for it’s insatiable desire for the product. When farmers are not paid a fair wage for their labor and are exploited by middle men, we become a part of the problem. When we open our eyes and determine to know WHO is behind the product that we are consuming, we enter into line with the solution.
So, every consumer and dollar is a player whether we mentally acquiesce to it or not. Our delicously sweet chocolate bars may not be that cheap or sweet at all. In fact, they may be closer to the taste of quinine than any of us ever imagined. Just a thought…
Doing My Protesting From Home
April 9, 2008 | 16 Comments
I can’t be in San Francisco today to protest China while the Olympic torch is being passed through. But I did want my voice to be heard and for my face to be seen.
Last week I received an email from the Save Darfur Campaign that made me want to do my part. It easy. All you need to do is download the flyer and take a picture of yourself holding it. It’s too late now to have it on their banner in San Francisco, but you can post it on your website and let people know what is going on.
I’m not only doing this for the innocent people of Darfur. You see, China is responsible for selling arms to Darfur and they have played a major role in supporting the government of Khartourm and has aided its military so it has the ability to continue the genocide.
I am also doing this to help the innocent of Tibet. Tibet wants to become independent once again from China. You can take a look at the Free Tibet website and see how they are working to help. Their mission: Free Tibet Campaign stands for the Tibetans’ right to determine their own future. It campaigns for an end to China’s occupation of Tibet and for the Tibetans’ fundamental human rights to be respected.
You can read CNN’s article, San Francisco Braces for Olympic Torch Protests to see what is happening.
So this is what I can do from my house. What can you do?
This Business of…Waiting for the World To Change…
February 19, 2008 | 6 Comments
I admit it…I have a tendency to be impatient. Although, I love the melody of John Mayers song, “Waiting for the World to Change,” there is always something inside me that bucks against the
message.
Deep down inside, I distrust the notion that the world will simply change while we wait or because we hope it will. My gut informs me that change occurs because we make it happen!
A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a 60 Minutes piece about the Gulf State, Dubai. Steve Kroft interviewed the nation’s leader and traveled with him to a number of different areas of the country. During the broadcast, Kroft and the Sheik are watching a camel race. What intrigued me was that the jockeys were not human beings…they were robots!
Well, as Paul Harvey would famously say…”And now for the rest of the story.” Apparently, the use of robotic jockeys for camels is a fairly new development in the sport of camel racing. In fact, these robotic jockeys are so highly developed that they are controlled by their handlers from jeeps racing around the track shouting instructions into special hand held devices. They also wear a special perfume which makes the camels think they’re being cajoled by a real human being and not a machine. Amazing.
It’s even more extraordinary when you consider that a mere 2-3 years ago, the jockeys were little human beings… children. Many of whom had been sold or abandoned to child slavery. They were often mistreated and starved to ensure their cooperation and to keep their weight to a bare maximum of 45 pounds. Many did not survive and died, only to be buried in unmarked graves quickly washed over by the dessert sands.
So, what caused the shift from child slaves to robots? People! Sustained pressure and exposure by human rights organizations continued to point the spotlight on this barbaric practice. It was no longer comfortable or acceptable to use stolen children. A shelter was established in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to rescue these children and by 2005, it is estimated that over 800 children have been returned to their families.
But, there is another fascinating storyline which travels like an undercurrent to this tale. It’s a story about an Arabian princess, the daughter of the King of Jordon who married the Sheik in 2004. Princess Haya is a modern Arab woman who excelled in sports herself and competed for Jordon in Olympic equestrian events. One of Princess Haya’s passions is children. She is a Member of the Board of Directors of “The Right to Play” Foundation which encourages healthy, physical, social and emotional development amongst the world’s most disadvantaged children.
Today the Right to Play Organization harnesses the power of professional and Olympic athletes as well as volunteers who freely donate their time to harness the power of sports to educate children, teach Peaceful Conflict Resolution, provide health education and increase the awareness of the use of sports in humanitarian endeavors. The Right to Play works in partnership with organizations such as CARE International, International Labor Organization and the Red Cross. Their programs are currently being implemented in 20 countries in the Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
We hear a lot about “Change” these days. Today, the primary in Wisconsin is being heatedly contested on the basis of defining what Change will actually look like. Truth is…I don’t think anyone really knows. Every individual who is part of the process will be involved in doing their own unique part to create change. But, one thing is certain, change will not occur simply because we wish it to.
For in a sense, each one of us is a leader in our own world. Although we may not be influencing the ruler of a world government, we should never underestimate the power of our personal influence to effect change. Each one of us can choose to make a difference. And that… is never a small thing.
Related Stories:
BBC News: Child Camel Jockeys Find Hope
Ansar Burney Trust: Child Camel Jockeys
UAE Response: Child Camel Jockey Lawsuit & Goverment Actions
Picture of child jockey was obtained from Wikipedia and provided courtesy of Creative Commons License from Ansar Burney Organization.
*Note: a suit has been filed in Miami, Florida against the Sheik and his brother regarding allegations of the misuse of children.
And We Must Not Be Silent.
September 3, 2007 | 2 Comments
In a new YouTube video, actor Jim Carrey makes a very important public service announcement on behalf of the Human Rights Action Center and the
U.S. Campaign for Burma. He speaks of unsung heroes, of imprisonment, of conflict, of rape, of terror…
He speaks of Burma.
And he reminds all of us that we are needed.
The Who
Burma, officially re-named “Myanmar” in 1989, is located in Southeast Asia and for the past fifteen years has been under the control of one of the most repressive governments in the world. This government, what is known as a military junta, is responsible for the destruction of over 3,000 villages in eastern Burma, the brutal rapes of countless women, the deaths of countless more, and the imprisonment of over 1400 dissenters- including Carrey’s “unsung hero”, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose political party, the National League for Democracy, won an astounding 82% of the seats in the country’s parliament but was never allowed to assume any office.
The Why
Traveling across Burma, I ask people why they want democracy. Very often the answer is, “We just want to be free.” -Aung San Suu Kyi
Burma has seen a complete deterioration of human rights. Headlines read like horror novels or long ago history lessons of terror and mayhem. Unfortunately, these tales of Burma are neither fiction nor long ago: Brutal rapes, 
child soldiers, bloody protests, peaceful demonstrations turned murder, imprisonment, hopelessness… These tales are very real and very terrifying and must be put to an end.
The How
Be not silent.
To become involved in the campaign to free Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma or to learn more about their combined history and struggles, contact the United States Campaign for Burma, a U.S.-based membership organization dedicated to empowering grassroots activists around the world to bring about an end to the military dictatorship in Burma.
The When
You’re needed Now. We all are.
Outreach Asia
April 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Mike and Gina Peck really had their work cut out for themselves in 2000 when they founded Outreach Asia, but thanks to a staff that operates solely on volunteers, they are able to donate more than 95% of the money that they raise to fund the basic necessities of life to hundreds in Southeast Asia. That is huge!
Right now, Outreach Asia is using all of its generous donations to provide clean water, upgrading educational services, and providing much needed medical care for the many people in this region affected by leprosy.
They have sponsorships available for children and families on their website, as well as information on all of their ongoing projects throughout
Southeast Asia.
I am constantly amazed and inspired by the people and stories that I come across as I research information for these posts. I have been “introduced” to some really amazing people while compiling some of this information, both by the giving and receiving end of these gifts to humanity. There is a great little story about Mother Theresa on their site about how to end poverty…. but that’s a whole other post in itself!!!
Mike and Gina Peck have done all of the research and have the system in place. You can help them continue their work by donating to the work in Southeast Asia.
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