Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Human Trafficking Awareness Day

President Obama has declared January Human Trafficking Awareness Month and Congress has designated tomorrow, January 11, as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.  There is an estimated 27 million slaves or individuals living in slave-like conditions around the world.  13 million of these are children.  Although slavery is illegal in every country, many turn a blind eye to the plight of those suffering in bondage.  Slaves can be found in the US in the sex trade and labor market and around the world in places like coffee, tea, and cacao plantations and in garment factories.  For more information on modern day slavery, go to the Polaris Project



If you live in the first world, you are in some way culpable in the exploitation of other human beings.  Go to Slavery Footprint to see how many slaves you keep in bondage through your lifestyle and purchasing choices.  Then, if you live in the US, go to Fair Trade USA to learn about food products made without slave labor and to Green America to learn about sweatshop-free clothing.  Or do your own internet search to find resources to help fight human trafficking.

2 comments:

Shona~ LALA dex press said...

I'm in the market for a new pair of running shoes + know that is an area of high human rights violations. A discussion group on Runner's World leads to NB (the best), Brooks + Saucony being the most ethical of the major labels. Nike + Adidas being the worst.

As for that quiz- I got a 33, but they did not ask me if my soap or coffee was FT (they are), which are 2 items they dinged me on.

Cherie said...

Thanks for the info on the athletic shoe brands. Next time I need new shoes, I'll keep that in mind. For years I was a fan of NB but somehow ended up buying other brands in the recent past.

I don't remember my score but I do remember there are things I do that weren't taken into consideration on the test. But it is a good eye opener for a lot of people.