Raise Your Voice

"But What Else Can I Do?"

           Some may question whether just not buying products from companies that are known to use sweatshops (factory or field) is really enough to end this practice. There are other ways to protest. Another solution may be campaigning (another activity we tried to promote through my high school's Justice Committee). As an individual, you can contact the companies who do use sweatshops and demand that they stop because it is not okay. Or, if you want to make a bigger impact, make it a school or community-wide campaign. Get your friends, teachers, family, pastors, mentors, and whoever else is interested. to write letters to these companies explaining why sweatshops are not okay and how using them diminishes the dignity of the human person. By raising your voice, you can make a difference in the lives of millions.

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"It's Too Expensive"

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"So, where is all that money you paid going?"

          During high school, I was very involved in the Justice Committee. From my freshman through senior year I played a role in the committee, from organizing and presenting Justice Day each year to helping out with the "Justice Board." Consequently, I have some knowledge about justice issues and people's views on them. One objective I have heard to buying fair trade and fair labor items is that they are more expensive than items that are not. This may be true, but would you rather spend a little more and know that that money is going directly to producers/workers/farmers, or pay less and have no idea where your money is going? I vote for the first. But for those who do not wish the spend the extra money for more independent, alternative brands and products, I propose trying to seek out companies that maybe do not use sweatshops as much as the others. H&M, the popular clothing store, does not use sweatshops and others, such as Target, are trying to reduce their sweatshop usage. The point is to avoid stores that are notorious for sweatshops. We need to make businesses aware from these stores so that they get the message that exploitation is not okay!!

Fair Trade and Fair Labor: The Fair Solution

          Fair Trade and Fair Labor: the fair solution to sweatshops. Sweatshops, whether they are in factories or in fields, exploit workers, whether they are men, women, or young children. A solution: buy Fair Trade products and shop from stores that members of the Fair Labor Association. Fair Trade products, in order to  be Fair Trade ceritified must meet the following criteria: "fair prices to producers; fair wages to laborers; democratically run producer cooperatives or workplaces; safe, non-exploitative working conditions, public accountability" (Jaffee, Kloppenburg, & Monroy 174) as stated in an academic journal I found on the EBSCOHost library database. These criteria ensure that workers have good working conditions and receive fair wages. Fair Trade cooperative (farmers unions) are sometimes even able to fund the building of schools and healthcare facilties through the profits they receive (kuapakokoo.com). The Fair Labor Associaton (FLA), founded in 1999, aims to bring together responsible colleges, universities, and companies in the crusade against sweatshops. Companies who are members of the FLA achieve FLA standards in the factories that manufacture their products. Colleges and universities that are members of the FLA must make sure that the licensees supplying their licensed produts either get or make their products in factories where workers' rights are not violated or exploited in any way (http://www.fairlabor.org/).  So, whether you purchase Fair Trade of Fair Labor products, you can rest assured that these items did not come from sweatshops of any kind!!!

          Some may ask how buying these products is a solution to sweatshops or how it is possible amd/or realistic. First of all, buying these products ensures that the producers/workers/laborers have been treated fairly and paid fairly. Buying these products will also take away business from companies that use sweatshops. By buying these products and taking away business from companies that exploit and by and raising awareness by example and by spreading the word, perhaps those companies will realize that it is not okay to exploit their workers. Secondly, buying these products is realistic because they are on the rise, especially those that are Fair Trade-certified. In the past ten years, the United States has gone from importing 2 million pounds of Fair Trade-ceritied coffee to importing 110 million pounds (Smith) !!! Thirdly, this solution is possible because many places carry these products. Big companies, like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts use fair trade products!! Large retailers, such as Costco and Whole Foods, are now carrying a larger selection of Fair Trade-certified products (Smith)!! Even better, the Caldwell College bookstore is a member of the Fair Labor Association!! YAY!!! That means you can shop with "cougar pride" !!!! Other Fair-Trade-certified products, like Divine Chocolate, are available in Whole Foods.  Why not shop fair trade and fair labor for Christmas and know that the gifts you are giving are bringing joy to EVERYONE!!!

For more information on Fair Trade-certified prodcuts like Divine Chocolate, fair labor products, and sweatshop-free clothing companies, visit the following websites:
www.divinechocolate.com/
www.mirembekawomera.com/
www.nosweatapparel.com/
americanapparel.net/
www.newdream.org
www.greenamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/nosweatshops.cfm
www.fairlabor.org

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Fair Trade

Sweatshops: They're In the Fields Too

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Sweatshops: They're in the Fields Too

          Sweatshops do not necessarily have to occur within factories that produce items such as sneakers. Sweatshop labor can also be found in the fields, the fields where people, often children, toil to produce items, such as cocoa beans, that are used to produce a favorite treat for many: chocolate. These sweatshop situations occur with other products, such as pineapples and cotton, but I think just about everyone enjoys chocolate, at least until you know where it comes from. Cocoa beans are the primary ingredient in chocolate, and are therefore in high demand. Consequently, people are employed as slaves to harvest the beans that make up the treat that many of us indulge ourselves in frequently  (http://www.laborrights.org/) .
          The Ivory Coast, the western coast of Africa, accounts for more than 40% of the global production of cocoa beans, making it the leading supplier of cocoa beans. Since the price for cocoa is low, the producers and farmers hire those who work for low pay: children. It is estimated, by the U.S. Department of State, that more than 109,000 children work on the Ivory Coast under the most extreme forms of child labor. These children toil for hours upon hours each day. They are often exposed to harsh pesticides and frequent and cruel beatings and other punishments. These children, because they are toiling harvesting all day, are unable to receive an education. Since many of these laborers are children, these "sweatshops in the fields" also promote child slavery (http://www.laborrights.org/). Can you see the parallels between factory and field sweatshops?