Nestle investigates child labor

Politicians and food executives have been talking about ending the problem of child labor in the West African cocoa industry for the last decade. After shocking revelations that hundreds of thousands of children were forced to harvest cacao beans under abusive conditions, companies pledged to address the practice as "fair trade" entered their lexicon.

But 10 years later, labor advocates say the chocolate industry doesn't have a lot to show for itself on this issue. In 2009, the U.S. Department of State estimated that there were still more than 109,000 children working in Ivory Coast's cocoa industry, and about 10 percent were victims of human trafficking or enslavement.

Perhaps that's why Nestlé, the world's largest food company, has just hired an organization that specializes in accountability to investigate and document child labor on the farms that supply it with the cocoa that ends up in millions of chocolate bars.

Beginning in January, the Fair Labor Association, Nestle's new partner, will send a team of independent assessors to Ivory Coast to map the cocoa supply chain. The group has conducted similar investigations with companies in the textile, manufacturing and other industries in countries around the world. But Nestlé is the first food company to open up its supply chain to FLA's scrutiny.

"Our system is a very robust system; it's really only for companies ready to 'walk the walk,'" Auret van Heerden, president of CEO of the Fair Labor Association, tells The Salt. "There's a lot of work to be done and Nestlé knows that, but they're showing commitment and seriousness."

If FLA finds evidence of child labor, it will advise Nestlé on what to do about it, Nestle says. "Child labor has no place in our supply chain," said Nestlé's Executive Vice President for Operations José Lopez in a statement. "We cannot solve the problem on our own, but by working with a partner like the FLA, we can make sure our efforts to address it are targeted where they are needed most."

Ivory Coast and other West African countries produce 75 percent of the world's cocoa. But as NPR's Maria Godoy has reported, bulk beans grown in Africa represent just a small sampling of the many flavors of cacao. That's inspiring chocolate explorers to scour the Amazon Basin in search of a new bounty of wild cacao.

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So, a lot of people are excited about Nestle investigating child labor on its own supply chain in West Africa. But, I have news for you. There is NOTHING to be excited about in regards to this investigation. Nestle is wasting its own money and time to put up a show not to loose consumers.

The problem of child labor in West Africa is mostly cultural, political, and economic matters. Yes, child trafficking in genuine sense happens, but this is far too rare in the region comparing to how many subsistent farmers and their families depending on the cocoa industry.

I said this in my article a while ago, but I am gonna say this again. Even the president of the Ivory Coast worked as a child with his families. Most farmers work on someone else's land. They have may be one or two trees that they own on someone else's farm and work their butt off to bring food to the table for THAT DAY because that's all they can afford.

If anyone is interested in eliminating child labor in West Africa,(mainly Ivory Coast), start pressuring the Ivorian government to clean up their act. The bribery and high taxation are more painful to these children and their poor farmer parents, rather than working on their farm itself per se. If the government stop taxing them so much and the government officials stop asking for bribes for passing the bridge or what not, the farmers will have more money to pay for legitimate workforce and send their kids to school.

Happy Thanksgiving Day-- Remembering trafficking victims on holidays

I haven't been very consistent with keeping up with this blog. A lot happened since last time I posted anything on this blog. But, I am trying to write more often here so you have something to read on human trafficking more often and I get to say things more often. :)

I also write a weekly column on The Washington Times Communities every Wednesday. I am not allowed to be so personal on that column i.e., not allowed to ramble nor use "I". So, I would like to keep this blog as more conversational and engaging with readers and other advocates who care about human trafficking.

Besides, this helps me blab about human trafficking and social issues with other people who care, when nobody else around me is really interested in talking about the subject.

So, I recently interviewed a nonprofit founder from Alabama. Her name is Tajuan. She is also a survivor of human trafficking victim. She talked about her bleak Thanksgiving Day as a victim on my column this week. She described her holiday as a victim as follows:

Instead, her pimp made her stay out on the street longer during holidays than on other days, because sex customers usually stayed home with families on holidays making it hard for the workers to meet the daily quota.

Now, I've never been trafficked. But, I sure remember how it feels to be alone and isolated on holidays. There was one holiday that I had to stay in VA all by myself to prepare for an exam. The small town that I stayed in felt so so very dark and cold. Everything including Walmart was closed. I think CVS was opened till 6 pm but that was about it. I would imagine that the only thing that keeps anyone warm from that cold weather and dreary town during that holiday season was their families, esp. the loving parents (and grandparents) who wanted to stuff them with turkey and gravy with extra love.

That holiday, I had none of that. But I also didn't have a pimp who forced me to be on the street without food all day and not letting me come into the motel room unless I make daily quota. Without the pimp, that winter was cold enough.

Can you imagine being in a victim's shoes? It must've felt like someone stripping her and whipping her back in the cold weather while everyone is watching her. Not to be too graphic or pessimistic on this wonderful holiday, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on how a holiday is like to trafficking victims.

Comments and thoughts are welcomed.

J-1 visa participants treated no different than human trafficking victims

J-1 visa participants treated no different than human trafficking victims

Though the students were visiting the U.S. for cultural experiences, their lives in the U.S. looked more like those of trafficking victims. Despite the deplorable conditions, the US State Department failed to protect the J-1 participants

Under the regulation 22 CFR 62.10(e), sponsors are responsible for monitoring students’ welfare during their stay and are required to submit annual report the State Department. However, the annual report does nothing to protect students from exploitive employers. The State Department, which oversees the program, has no way to monitor the actions of the sponsors or to ensure accurate reporting.

According to some of the 300 students sponsored by Hershey’s, the company threatened them with deportation when they complained about overcrowded housing and exploitative work conditions.

For employers, the J-1 program offers the easiest way to hire cheap seasonal labors. Though the students have the same labor rights as those of American workers, companies often take advantage of the lax regulation by the State Department and pay the student workers $1 or $2 an hour after deducting housing, uniform, or other fees from their paychecks.

Some employers even force students into working at strip clubs. In December 2010, strip clubs in the U.S. openly solicited students on J-1 program. The students told Associated Press that criminals forced J-1 participants into sex slavery and confiscated their passports.

Full Article:

Who can eliminate child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry?

Who can eliminate child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry?

Local farmers see anti-child labor campaigns as intimidation rather than an opportunity for children's education. For Ivorian cocoa farmers living on $2 a day, Americans boycotting their products sounds much more threatening than not sending their children to school.

Many also see child labor regulations as cultural imperialism, imposing western ideals on them.

Instead of demanding that chocolate companies adhere to fair trade practices, the government and advocates must address systemic problems of high tax rates, poverty, governmental bribes and the culture of the Ivory Coast to eliminate child labor on the cocoa farms.

According to a March 2011 BBC report chocolate companies claiming to implement the fair trade process are stil relying on child labor. The BBC report found one Ivory Coast farmer who was sending his products to the Nestle co-operative as part of its fair trade initiative still relying on his “eight year old brother and eleven year old son” to harvest the cocoa and that neither of the boys are attending school.

One of the causes behind child labor in the Ivorian cocoa industry are high tax rates that, according to a Financial Times report, has 40% of the proceeds from the sale of international cocoa going to the African government.

Thailand's unfinished battle against human trafficking

Thailand's unfinished battle against human trafficking

In Thailand, hundreds of thousands of members of minority ethnic groups legally have no national affiliation to Thailand. The Thai government officially recognizes only nine of the tribes in the remote highlands, leaving the rest without Thai citizenship. Because they have no legal national affiliation to Thailand, these groups have no right to education, employment, healthcare, or even freedom of movement.

Although stateless people have a right to attain citizenship under Thai law, the process is extremely difficult. Thai law states that eligible applicants can obtain citizenship within 90 days, but in reality, the process often takes as long as three years or more. Additionally, in many cases, government officials are reluctant to help stateless people proceed with the application process due to corruption, which further slows the process.

Lehmann says lack of citizenship makes stateless people vulnerable to human trafficking in several ways.

Full Article

The missing piece of the U.S. anti-human trafficking effort

The missing piece of the U.S. anti-human trafficking effort

"unless the U.S. addresses the problem of American youth entering the sex industry to pimp others, its fight against human trafficking will never stop.

One scholar says that the problem of American youth pimping others, among many other crimes, is attributed to the lack of proper role models in their lives. Surely, youth need positive role models who will teach them that exploiting others are wrong and that their actions bear consequences. But, that is not enough. They also need changes in their mindsets that they can be anything but “a drug dealer, a thug, or a pimp in the hood.”

Meet Prontiss Houseworth. He was arrested for sex trafficking women in Nashville, Tennessee just a few weeks ago. According to local news, Prontiss allegedly threatened to kill the victims and their families if the victims refused to prostitute for his financial gain.

The victims stated that Prontiss put them in the back of his car with the child locks on and transported them against their will from Atlanta, Georgia to Nashville, Tennessee. They also testified that upon arrival in Nashville, Prontiss confined them in a motel room "

For Further reading..

Domestic workers in Lebanon: Employed or enslaved?

Domestic workers in Lebanon: Employed or enslaved?

Sina traveled to Lebanon from Nepal to become a housemaid a few years ago. When her employment agent reached out to her in her impoverished rural community, the agent told Sina that a housemaid job in Lebanon would not only enable her to support her siblings but also help her pay for her mom's hospital bill. Sina thought that the opportunity seemed to be too good to pass by. Therefore, she immediately packed her belongings and flew to Lebanon.

Upon her arrival in Lebanon, Sina quickly discovered that her work situation was quite different from what she had imagined. After confiscating Sina’s passport and identification, the employers wanted her to work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week. They gave Sina only bread and tea to eat each day. For months, the employers also demanded that she work at their relatives’ houses.

Employers never mentioned anything about her salary, which she had not received. When Sina finally confronted her employers about the unpaid salary, the employers became physically and verbally abusive towards Sina. They also locked her in a room every night so that Sina could not escape from the employers’ house.

Today in Beirut City, Sina’s story is all too common to ignore among foreign housemaids. Some housemaids also face sexual abuse by their employers and have no legal recourse or other ability to protect their rights.