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What Matters Most—$1 or a Life?Modern-day Slavery Rooted in ConsumerismBY JESSICA GREEN

Same Moment in Time, Two Different WorldsStanding impatiently, I look back and forth at the wall of items in front of me, questioning

which to buy. This week on the list is coffee, tea, bread, sugar, cocoa (for the homemadecookies I promised to make for work), and of course the inevitable what to have for dinner.Keeping an eye on the time—I only have a half an hour to get the things we need and get back home to let the dog out. Pacing up and down the aisles, I’m unable to keep my focus,still thinking about the paper due today while my stomach growls. Back to why I am here,where is the cocoa? I only purchase it once or twice a year, and each time it seems to be ina different place. Finally, there it is in the same aisle as the sugar. I quickly scan each labelfor the Fair Trade icon, and then check the price. I start to bite my lower lip, worryingabout money. Each of these items cost $1 more. I promised that I would help save moneyafter the pay cut; but this, this is different. I swiftly throw the cocoa and sugar into mybasket, and move on to the next item on the list–coffee. I repeat the same task, looking forthe Fair Trade icon on both the coffee and tea, at the same time searching for my favoritecaffeine-loaded fruity green tea to keep me awake to inish my paper. I grab two boxes just in case. I then ind the bread, some random items for dinner, and rush to the self-checkout.

At the same time I perform a mundane, routine task—grocery shopping— individuals likeAbdul, Miguel, and Fikre work to produce the very items I purchase. Abdul , a 10-year-oldchild works at a cocoa farm in Ivory Coast, West Africa. His clothes are old, dirty, and torn.He earns no wages for a hard days work. Miguel , beaten and naked is found in a hole. Scarson his back and a bloody cut over his eye, he utters no words. He was a slave likely sold towork in the sugar plantations in Haiti. Fikre , a farmer in Ethiopia works exhaustively allday, only to go home with less money than he had the day before. He works each day in thehopes that one day he will be paid a fair price for the coffee he sells. None of theseindividuals, or the millions of others, are heard or seen. They are a “hidden population.”

Modern-Day Slavery, Hidden In Our Own Backyard These children, this “hidden population,” are victims of modern-day slavery . The estimatednumber of slaves in our world today is 10-30 million people. This may seem like a vaguenumber, but after all, how do you count a population that is “hidden?” This unde ined,uncounted population encompasses children, women, and men that are victims of forcedlabor , bonded labor , and human traf icking .

Photo Source: The CNN Freedom Project 1

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According to The CNN Freedom Project slavery occurs “when one person completelycontrols another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control,exploits them economically, pays them nothing and they cannot walk away.” Even thoughthis is illegal in all parts of the world, it is occurring all over the world. These human beingsare being sold for an average of $90—the cheapest in history—then used, beaten, andkilled, all for the price of inexpensive consumer goods. Human beings such as Abdul ,Miguel , and Fikre are seen as disposable, a commodity, similar to the very product theymake, and we buy.

Slavery 101 Video: http://vimeo.com/14676960

We cannot lie to ourselves and think this happens in a far off land, ignoring the fact modern-day slavery occurs right here in the United States of America—a place wherefreedom is supposed to be valued. Statistics explain that between 14,500-17,500 humanbeings are traf icked in the U.S. each year. These individuals may not be easy to identify,but the 14,500 -17,500 slaves in the U.S. alone can be found all around us: in the homesof our neighbors working as domestic servants, laboring vigorously throughout the

organizations we utilize everyday, or forced into the sex trades that invade ourcommunities. Laura Clemmens , a government lawyer in Dayton, OH explains, “the hardpart is bringing it into the light. At the moment these crimes are clouded in secrecy.”

Photo Source: The CNN Freedom Project

Filmmakers, such as Robert Bilheimer , are attempting to do just that—bring light tothe issues of modern-day slavery through ilm. Not My Life is a documentary that vividlyillustrates the stories of victims from all around the world, while emphasizing that “wrong can be made right.” Bilheimer was inspired by a quote from Abraham Lincoln,over a century ago, explaining that, “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”

Not My Life Documentary Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlifdh911A&feature=player_pro ilepage

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Fair Trade, Fair LifeSlavery in the U.S. occurs in various forms: human traf icking , domestic labor , forcedlabor —all rooted in consumerism . According to the National Underground RailroadFreedom Center :

“At its heart, slavery is an inhuman perversion of a simple

economic principle: the best way to maximize pro its is byminimizing the cost of labor. In today’s global economy, theseemingly inexhaustible demand for cheap goods and serviceshas created a vast, largely invisible market for easilyreplenished supplies of men, women and children who areforced to work against their will, for little or no pay, and underconstant threat of violence or intimidation.”

Abdul and Miguel work tirelessly all day to produce cocoa and sugar, unpaid, beaten, andscared—all to maximize pro its and help consumers save insigni icant amounts of money.These children are not alone. Other children, men and women are enslaved in the US and

around the world for the value of a dollar, but not for their own dollar and not for their ownlife. Fikre explains, “We know that our quality is good, but prices for us have been so bad.”These unfair forced prices aid in the creation of unhealthy, unsafe, and unfavorableinancial conditions for laborious workers.

So, is the dollar per item I would have saved at the grocery store worth supporting modern-day slavery? No. There are other options. Consumers should educate themselves about goods or services that derive from modern-day slavery; items such as sugar, bananas ,coffee, and tea. Online sites can explain these items ( http://www.productsofslavery.org/ ),as well as items that use Fair Trade ( http://fairtradeusa.org/ ). Therefore, leadingconsumers to companies such as Wholesome Sweeteners , Thanksgiving Coffee , and

Teavana —whom use their positions in the marketplace to make a positive impact.Including the use of co-ops in Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Uganda to improve the lives of families, such as Antonio who is now able to afford clothes and medicine. The reason:Fair Trade prices improve their quality of life.

Fair Trade “empowers farmers to get a fairprice for their harvest, helps workers createsafe working conditions, provides a decent living wage and guarantees the right toorganize.” Fair Trade standards also protect individuals’ rights to healthy working conditionsthrough limited use of agrochemicals , and bystrictly prohibiting child labor, forced labor,and discrimination.

Photo Source: consumingjusticeinwaterloo.blogspot.com

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I think of the better life Abdul, Miguel, and Fikre would have if consumers switch theirpurchases from unethical companies who buy cocoa, sugar, and coffee from farms that usechild labor, forced labor, and pay unfair wages to companies like Divine chocolate. Then,Abdul and Miguel could have a chance to live with their families and friends, in a safe place,attending school, and being children. While Fikre could have the opportunity to earn fairwages for hard work and dedication, as well as the chance to take care of his families withthe fair wages he earns. We can see the impact Fair Trade purchases can have on a familyand a community through stories like Jennifer’s . Jennifer’s father works in a Fair Tradeco-op where he receives fair wages for a day’s work, and in turn, she is able to receive aneducation in a safe and healthy environment. Children like Jennifer dream of being nursesand helping their community. This is a result of freedom, because freedom provides theavenue for dreams to become an obtainable reality. Albert Einstein illuminates thismessage when he says, “Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by theindividual who can labor in freedom.”

Jennifer’s Story Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAhmgUUu4HU&feature=player_detailpage

This is why the few dollars I would have saved at the store were not the value upon whichI based my decision. The money is not about the promise I made to my husband to savemoney after my most recent pay cut. The money is about the lives of the people who work hard to place the products that stand before me. I try, but I am not perfect, to purchase anyitem that is offered through Fair Trade. I want so badly to progress our world and how wetreat others, as well as encourage those around me to do the same. It does not matter howbig or small the step, but that we move forward to help end modern-day slavery, and givevoices to the unde ined, uncounted population that is “hidden” among us.

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