More Info on Human Trafficking

There is a really informative and interesting article on a youth site in the UK.
Check it out here.

Word.

Nelson Mandela says:

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Freedom Alright!

Wow checking out the Stop Trafficking Website, its like a bag of licorice All sorts! Speaking of sweet stuff, chocolate... love it, love it, love it!

But another quick fact, 12,000 children have been trafficked into cocoa farms in Cote D'Ivoire so When we buy chocolate we are being forced to be oppressors as we have no guarantee that the chocolate we eat is 'traffik free'!

Makes ya think a bit aye?

http://www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolatecampaign/

FREEEEDOM!!!

So, hopefully you have read the last post about the slavery of today, mostly termed human traffiking.... the general aim of the, er, game, for campaigners is.... (cryptic!) Freedom.
As part of the campaign, on March 25th there will be a global celebration called Freedom Day.
It is the 100 year anniversary of the total abolition of slavery (so far as the law goes, you know) so it seems like a perfect day to honour the work of Wilberforce and his crew that bought those law changes about.
It is also a fabulous opportunity to create awareness of the issue of human traffiking (see below) amongst your workmates, school etc.
If you have any ideas about ways to do this, how about blogging them on here, eh?!
There is lots of info and resources and idea here.

Stop the Traffik

Picture a dank and cold room, the concrete walls are lined with the huddled figures of young girls. The smell of fear hangs in the air and an occasional glimpse of a pair of wide eyes tell a story too horrific to imagine. Their journey involves a kidnap, long periods of time in transit, no hope of ever being paid and certainly no idea of ever being free of their owner. It could be a scene from the middle of the last millenia, or even 150 years ago. The scary truth is that this is the experience of at least 400,000 women each year. Slavery and human trafik is happening as I type.

• 20 million people are held in bonded labour around the world
• 80 million children are engaged in work injurious to their health and development
• profits from the trafficking of people are US $7 billion a year
• of the 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 per cent are women and girls, and up to 50 per cent are minors.

It is hard to feel a part of the loop, being a little island in the pacific. But we must always remember that as citizens of the globe we form a vital link in every unjust situation wherever it's location. Stop the traffik has heaps more information on it's website about the ways you can campaign against the evils of human traffiking.

Starbucks comes to the Party

28 Feb 2007

Starbucks takes step towards recognizing Ethiopian rights to coffee names. Campaigners urge company to follow through

International agency Oxfam responded to a joint statement from coffee company Starbucks and the Government of Ethiopia in which Starbucks pledged not to oppose Ethiopian efforts to trademark its coffee names, Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Harar. While it is a good first step, Oxfam said Starbucks needed to go further and guarantee concrete support for the Ethiopian project, designed to benefit poor producers.
"It's good to see Starbucks finally coming to the table, which they initially refused to do," said Seth Petchers, coffee lead for Oxfam International's Make Trade Fair campaign. "Starbucks now says it won't block the initiative, but what it hasn't said is how it will actively support Ethiopia's stated efforts to obtain trademarks for its coffees which will bring added benefits to poor farmers."

After initially dismissing Ethiopia's plan to trademark its specialty coffees, Starbucks, which came under international pressure from campaigners, has now said it is ready to recognize Ethiopia's right to pursue this path.

Ethiopian officials have said Ethiopia will continue to pursue the trademarking and licensing initiative and hopes to enter in to partnership with Starbucks and other companies through negotiated licensing agreements. These would recognize Ethiopia's ownership of the coffee names and allow them to get a fairer share of the profits for their producers. Ethiopia has obtained a trademark in the US for its Yirgacheffe coffee.

Oxfam and other partners have supported the trademarking initiative as a way to pass down more of the value of coffee sales to poor producers who typically receive a tiny percentage of final sale price, and struggle to make a living.

On February 15 Starbucks announced initiatives to benefit coffee farmers in Ethiopia including funding for a quality improvement project and increased coffee purchases in East Africa. While the additional purchases and support are beneficial, these initiatives fail to address the fundamental rights issue at hand. What the Ethiopians have asked coffee roasters to do is recognize Ethiopia's right to control and share in the value of the country's specialty coffee names through trademarks.

"As a market leader, Starbucks should take concrete steps that the Ethiopian government has called for, including reaching an agreement that recognizes Ethiopia's legal ownership of its coffee names," continued Petchers.

To view this article or see more articles on this subject visit:
http://www.oxfam.org.nz/news.asp?s1=news&aid=1388

TVONE Close Up looks at the Ethiopian and Starbucks Coffee Battle

Check out this Video, from Close Up 20th Feb 2007. A look inside the Ethiopian and Starbucks coffee battle!

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/497100/997058

Lets Make it Fair!