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* * * Trade and Slave Labour (Part II)
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* * * Trade and Slave Labour (Part I)
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* * * Part one - AFRICA BEFORE SLAVERY
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* * * Part Two - TRANSATLANTIC SLAVERY
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* * * Timeline
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* * * Facts and Figures
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* * * Part Three - UGLY TRADE
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* * * Part Four - LIVING UNDER SLAVERY
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* * * Part Five - ABOLITION
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* * * Abolitionists and Freedom Fighters
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* * * Part Six - UPRISINGS
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* * * The Impact
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* * * Part Seven - TODAY
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* * * Part Eight - DISCUSSIONS
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* * * Part Nine - RESOURCES: Taking a further look
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* * * Trade and Slave Labour (Part I)

What happened in the past?

Over 200 years ago, William Wilberforce realised a shocking fact – Britain's slave trade was a growth industry and the backbone of Britain's economy at that time. Wilberforce was one man who mobilised a swell of voices to speak out against injustice and make a difference that impacted the world. The abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1807) was achieved by a mass movement made up of those who were enslaved, anti-slavery campaigners and ordinary members of the public, black, white, male and female.

What’s happening now?

International Labour Organisation, 2005.

  • 600,000 – 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year.  Approximately 80% are women and girls.  Up to 50% are under 18. – US UNICEF UK Child Trafficking Information sheet, January 2003
  • The majority of trafficked victims arguably come from the poorest countries and the poorest strata of the national population – Anti-Slavery

    Following the delivery of the STOP THE TRAFFIK Global Declaration in February 2008, Steve Chalke MBE, Chair of STOP THE TRAFFIK, has been appointed as the UN.GIFT (GIFT is the Global Initiative to Fight human Trafficking) Special Advisor on Community Action against Human Trafficking by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    Lots of companies, including H+M, Marks and Spencer, and Monsoon, are supporting Stop The Traffik.  Visit www.search-for-me.co.uk, the home of The Green Directory, to find a website that will tell you where you can find fair-trade products.  It uses Google to find a variety of shops for whatever you want to find!

     

    Why are we interested?

    Some people at Methodist Youth Conference 2007 were concerned that the Methodist Church owns share is Nestle, a company widely believed to have questionable ethics. We have spoken to the Methodist Church’s Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics of Investments (JACEI) about this, and we have been insured that Nestle aren’t as ‘evil’ as they are made out to be. They are working with other companies and cocoa producers to help them get a fair deal. Also the Methodist Church has a very strong links with Nestle, and have been to meetings at Nestlé’s head office to have an input into their ethical policies. We believe this is a very positive move.

     

    Where do we want to go?

    So, we want to get to the stage where there is no slavery, and no unfair trade.  This is not going to be easy, because this is the global market.  Even the longest journey starts with a single step, so we’re getting our pens at the ready (well, keyboards these days!) and our thinking caps on to make 2009 a year of change.

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    How can we get there?

    There are several ways that we can work together to help end unfair trade and slave labour, a few of which are below:

    BUY FAIR-TRADE

    • Fair-trade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fair-trade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to have more control over their lives and work towards working their way out of poverty.
    • This is probably the most well-known way to combat unfair trade - 57% of adults can identify the independent Fair-trade consumer label and 53% can correctly associated the symbol with a better deal for producers in the developing world.  Now, this might not sound like a lot, but that means that the majority of adults all over Britain know about Fair-trade!  Isn’t that great? Still, it’s a big deal if adults know, as they normally buy food for the household.
    • However, it’s not just food that can have the fair-trade mark. Cotton products (like clothes J), flowers and even footballs can now carry the fair-trade symbol.  Remember to look out for them on your next shopping spree!

    Read More...

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