Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
28 December 2011
Products of Slavery
Appear on Store Shelves
Bargain hunters should think twice about picking
up some of the low-
aisles because of exploitation in the supply chain
According to Products of Slavery, 12.3 million children and adults work in conditions
of forced labour: “This is modern-
Widespread Use of Unpaid Labour
Anti Slavery is a group working out of the United Kingdom that has produced a poster showing which products come from slave labour and from which countries they originate.
According to the poster a “U.S. Department of Labor’s study found a high incidence of forced labour being used in 29 countries to produce 50 products.”
Products of Slavery ups the ante on this and claims that child labour happens in 58 countries that involves 122 types of product. One example cited in Bangladesh (below).
Shanjoy
Cotton and Slavery
The cotton industry in the American south was built on the backs of slaves and the industry continues to draw criticism today for its reliance on child and unpaid labour.
According to Anti-
Uzbekistan is the third biggest exporter of cotton in the world, so unless the origin of a cotton product is clearly labelled as otherwise there’s a good chance at least part of it has been produced by slave labour in that country.
Pressure from human rights groups has caused some retailers to remove products containing Uzbek cotton from their lines; examples are: Marks and Spencer, Nike,
Wal-
Car Parts and Slavery
An article published by Bloomberg News (November 2006) details how slaves are forced to make charcoal that is later used in the production of pig iron.
Michael Smith and David Voreacos follow a labour inspector and an armed police escort
into a charcoal-
“The pig iron will be purchased by brokers, sold to steelmakers and foundries and then purchased by some of the world’s largest companies for use in cars, tractors, sinks, and refrigerators made for U.S. consumers.”
Once alerted to the use of slaves in their supply chain, Ford, General Motors, and Whirlpool, among others, found different sources for their raw materials.
However, not all corporations are as conscientious about sourcing raw materials.
Chocolate Industry and Forced Labour
“Sorry to scare you, but on Halloween much of the chocolate Americans will hand out
to trick-
In their 2010 documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate filmmakers Miki Mistrati and U. Roberto Romano reveal how African children are sold into slavery to work in the cocoa plantations that supply most of the world’s chocolate.
Meanwhile, Korfhage reports that the industry’s voluntary efforts to halt the use of slave labour in its supply chain have achieved very little.
Deadlines for a clean-
But, a September 2010 report out of Tulane University, entitled “Child Labour in the Cocoa Sector” isn’t optimistic “the industry is still far from achieving its target…by the end of 2010…and the majority of children exposed to the worst forms of child labour remain unreached.”
Many other Products Tied to Slavery
It is very difficult for consumers in the rich world to avoid supporting slavery through their daily purchases.
Products of Slavery lists some of the slavery-
- Argentina – blueberries, garments, cotton, tomatoes, garlic;
- Uganda – vanilla, coffee, rice, tobacco;
- Turkey – cumin, furniture, hazelnuts, citrus fruits, peanuts;
- China – Christmas decorations, footwear, toys, fireworks, electronics;
- Philippines – gold, fashion accessories, rubber, bananas, coconuts.
The list seems endless and insufficient and inaccurate labelling make it nearly impossible for consumers to be 100 percent certain that what they buy is untainted by slavery.
Sources
“Cotton Crimes Petition.” Anti-
“Slaves in Amazon Forced to Make Material Used in Cars.” Michael Smith and David Voreacos, Bloomberg News, November 2, 2006.
“The Chocolate You Eat Is Likely Made by Enslaved Children.” Andrew Korfhage, AlterNet, October 18, 2010.
“The Dark Side of Chocolate.” Miki Mistrati and U. Roberto Romano, 2010.
“Child Labour in the Cocoa Sector.” Tulane University.
© Canada and the World, December 2011
All rights reserved
“...more than 50% of the children in agricultural households in the cocoa-
“A projected total of 819,992 children in Côte d’Ivoire and 997,357 Ghana worked
in cocoa-
“In addition, the vast majority of children perform household work, and some perform economic activities other than work in agriculture.
“About 5% of children in agricultural households in the cocoa-
March 2011
“It is estimated to take $760 billion over 20 years to eliminate child labour completely. The estimated benefit in terms of better education and health is over $4 trillion, a six to one difference.”
The struggle to end child labour has been going on for a long time. This cartoon dates from about 1913.