STOP THE TRAFFIK Australia @stopthetraffikau-blog - Tumblr Blog

Ethical cocoa schemes no panacea for struggling farmers

The VOICE consortium (of which STOP THE TRAFFIK Australia is a part) has released the biennial Cocoa Barometre outlining the state of the Cocoa industry and steps that have been and need to be taken to address child labour, human trafficking and slavery like conditions.

Under scrutiny is the program of certification bodies Fairtrade and UTZ/Rainforest Alliance (who have now merged). These bodies give a stamp of approval to farmers whose cocoa is produced under practices judged fair. In return, companies can brand their chocolate bars to assure consumers they were produced ethically. They also provide on production communication to consumers about the chocolate they can purchase knowing steps have been taken to address these issues.

#cocoa barometer

Fighting for a Living Income for Cocoa Farmers

Fighting for a living income for cocoa farmers

Our new pop-up site https://traffikfreechocolate.com.au is full of interesting facts, activities and suggestions on making a difference in child labour and trafficking in the cocoa growing communities. This year’s Easter chocolate campaign stresses the importance of a living income. The ask to chocolate companies is to ensure that they are working towards insuring all cocoa farmers a living income. This is a factor that could be monumental in ending child labour in the cocoa farming communities, but what is a living income, why do we need it, and what can you do to help?

What is a living income:

A living income is crucial worldwide to any person who wishes to work a sustainable and profitable job and be able to secure a decent standard of living. A living income is described as the net income for every member of a household to reach an acceptable standard of living. A living income is supported and recommended for cocoa farmers by respected institutions such as the Universal Declaration for Human Rights and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The UN Development Goals describes a living income as one that guarantees a ‘basic but decent lifestyle’. Living income is the persons pay minus expenses, and expenses are broken down into three categories: food, housing and everything else. The estimated expenses are assessed in food and housing by combining internationally accepted principles with local customs. The everything else categories includes things such as taxes, as well as ensuring the proper funds for enshrined human rights, such as healthcare and education.

Why is a living income now so crucial?

A living income for farmers has always been a requirement, but it has become even more so in recent times. Good harvest seasons in 2016 and 2017 has led to an abundance is cocoa beans, which has led to a decrease in their price as the market has become saturated. With many of the forests of cocoa trees becoming protected, this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Cocoa farmers have never been truly rewarded for their work but in 2017 they only receive 4% of the cost of a chocolate bar and this unsustainable model has led to the use of child labour, forced and trafficked labour. Cocoa farmers are not bad parents, they are told not to use their children as labour but have also been told they will be paid 40% less for their cocoa beans in the last year. This is not a viable option for them and one of those two needs to change. We want it to be the income they receive, not the continued labour of their children.

What can we do?

The demand for cocoa beans has stalled, but the profit of chocolate companies continues to increase, therefore it does not seem unfeasible for companies to be working towards farmers being paid a living income. STOP THE TRAFFIK is asking anyone who feels the severity of this issue and how much of a difference it could make to millions of lives to consider doing the following.

· Order a postcard and thank you cards from our website to be sent to the big chocolate companies applauding their current working but asking them to keep progressing in this issue,

· Continue to find good chocolate with our recommended marks of certification (see our previous blog '7 signs of certification') and choose to buy those chocolate items over others.

· STOP THE TRAFFIK is asking you to donate just $60 to offset your chocolate consumption for the year and help us to try make a living income for cocoa farmers the reality that it could and should be. Go to http://stopthetraffik.com.au/donate/

The Seven Signs of Certification

The 7 Signs of Certification

At STOP THE TRAFFIK we believe that slave-free chocolate is a possibility for this generation. For the last 10 years we have been asking chocolate companies to use third party certification. This means having an independent certifier review the chocolate companies to ensure a ‘zero-tolerance’ standard on child labour, training for certified farmers in child protection and child protection monitoring at a community level. These certifiers help to accountability and assurance that the companies are adhering to best practices and a code of conduct. The three leading certifiers in the chocolate industry are as follows:

Fairtrade

Fair Trade was established in 1992 to address and overcome the unfair deal world farmers were given in the global market. They advocate a Fairtrade premium which is given to farmer co-operatives who choose themselves how to best use the money. Fair Trade only certify co-operatives. As of March 2017, Fair Trade certified a total of 63 co-operatives who represent over 130,000 farmers in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana (the two largest growers of cocoa beans).

UTZ

UTZ focusses on improving farmer livelihoods and helping them compete on a global market. They do this through running farmer workshops on subjects such as business skills, agricultural practices as well as child protection and the importance of education. All UTZ certified farmers partake in these workshops and UTZ aims to make farming sustainable both for the farmers and the planet. In 2015 there were over 465,000 UTZ certified farmers- 9% of the worlds cocoa farmers. 53% of these came from Cote d’Ivoire and 18% were from Ghana.

Rainforest Alliance

Rainforest Alliance have two major focusses, the protection of the environment and the improved wellbeing and livelihoods of farmers. Their certification is based on the Sustainable Agriculture Networks Standard and has been used to certify over 211,878 farmers with 63.6% of those in Cote d’Ivoire and 14.9% in Ghana. Of the three main certifiers, Rainforest Alliance has the most comprehensive remediation strategy and the most recently updated supplier code.

For some time, these 3 certifiers logos have been the only ones endorsed by STOP THE TRAFFIK as robust enough to be trusted by consumers when seen on chocolate. Now however, there are now 4 more logos to look out for, 3 from chocolate companies and 1 producer. These chocolate programs have been judged on 5 criteria: 3rd party audits to international standards, traceability to farm level, commitment to 100% sustainability of products, ensuring a living income and active child labour monitoring. They are as follows:

Nestle Cocoa Plan

Begun in 2009, the Nestle Cocoa Plan project has certified 30% of their cocoa as of March 2017 and has 44,617 farmers partaking in training and workshops. The Cocoa Plan has also seen the building or refurbishment of 42 schools in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. Nestle use the Fair Labour Association for comprehensive child monitoring systems and remediation. They are the most transparent company consistently reporting the number of children found in the worst forms of child labour. They also emphasize education as the best way to keep children from risk of trafficking. However, they have not given an exact date for worldwide 100% certification.

Lindt & Sprungli Cocoa Farming Programme

Started in 2008 Lindt’s programme aims to be fully certified by 2020 and by March 2017 has reached 57% certification and have 50,000 farmers partaking in training. Lindt use The Forest Trust to externally verify their programme and aim to largely use community participation in developing their programme. However there have been no published impact reports and their social side requires expansion. The programme has also built 1 school in Ghana.

Mondelez International Cocoa Life (Cadburys and Toblerone)

Mondelez Internationals Cocoa Life programme was started in 2012 and also aims to be certified by 2020. As of March 2017, is has reached 21% certification and has over 50,000 farmers partaking in training in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. They are heavily committed to using community knowledge and development to tackle child labour and trafficking. Commissioned an external report on child labour and trafficking in Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. However, their child monitoring and remediation systems are still new and need time to be fully evaluated.

Barry Callebaut Cocao Horizons

The chocolate producer Barry Callebaut also has its own sustainability programme Cocoa Horizons. In this they aim to eradicate child labour from their supply chain by 2025 emphasizing education, empowering women and a child monitoring community system. By the same year they aim to lift 500,000 farmers out of poverty by investing 2.2 Million Euros through 2019 in cocoa farmer training programs in Cote d’Ivoire across 80 farming communities.

Fisherman Traps in SE Asia

When the financial crisis hit, Samart lost his job as a security guard in Bangkok. Preparing to go home to an impoverished area in NE Thailand, a friendly man invited him for a drink, to talk about a job on a fishing vessel. Samart decided not to take the job, but, after a few sips of his drink, he passed out. When he woke, he was astounded to find himself on a boat off Singapore – and would soon be sent into Indonesian waters, where he would remain trapped for 7 years – he was traded between boats at sea numerus times when their catch was loaded onto a larger vessel. This is how some powerless vulnerable people have found themselves trapped in slavery in the fishing industry.

Thailand is the world’s fourth-largest exporter of seafood according to UNFAO. Vulnerable migrant workers, mainly from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, but also impoverished Thais, have for years been lured onto fishing boats with promises of well-paid jobs, so many never receive salaries. This is starting to change with the biggest companies like Thai Union (a company not a union) is restructuring its operations to protect against labour abuses - but it is difficult to establish how many people remain trapped at sea because they are often hidden and lost in a large ocean with many threats and with many fearing for their life – for good reasons! “Being on a fishing boat is like having your life hang by a thread,” says Samart in the SCMP, other survivors who have been maimed at sea have told LPN that they have seen their friends killed at sea.

In Benjini and Ambon in Indonesia, officials visited these places because of media reports. Rumours got around of a possible rescue. First in 2’s and 3’s they saunted in then as the story that it was real swept through the communities they streamed in from their fishing trawlers, down the hills and even out of the jungle “running towards what they had hoped for, for years: freedom!”. AP

We cannot sit back and be moved by these stories without taking an action to help clean up the industry. Good things are starting to happen – we have to make this the new culture of fishing. Sign the petition by clicking on “Ask For A Sea-change” on the website www.buyslavefree.org

#Labour Rights #slavefreeseafood stopthetraffik togetherwecan #Slavery Fishing

Labour Agents and Slavery

Much of the human trafficking in the seafood industry in SE Asia is with migrant workers. The trade is in human beings and the currency is hope. Most of these people come from poverty crushing realities and are looking for a better life, or looking to how they might make some money to take home or send back to their families – so they can have a better life. If they get trapped and trafficked, it not only makes it very difficult to live with, but it also makes it difficult to go back home. They know that if they return empty handed or having to explained why they did not succeed, then they are shamed - and it can force them to stay even longer.

Labour agents have played on that vulnerability. One of the biggest tools they have is to offer hope, then they build trust, and then they deceive them. It is so crushing and so devastating. There are so many stories of people signing up with a work agent who tells them it will cost US$1000 to use their job finding services and the jobs that they have on their books. They are told that they can pay that off easily over a number of years. They take them to the border and hand them over to another agent. They get transported to where they were told the job would be - but this new agent tells them they must pay the money now! When they say they were told they could pay it off over a number of years they are told they know nothing about that.

When they say they do not have the money, they are told that they will have to go wherever they are told, their identity papers are taken away and they find themselves on a boat till the amount is paid off – and with a high interest being charged. This is called bonded labour and it is a form of slavery.

I have talked to a person in that this happened to Thailand. He was from Myanmar. He found that the interest charged meant he had to work on a boat for 17 years. During that time, he was never allowed to leave the boat even when it came into port – consequently he did not walk on land for the full 17 years.

This reality has been so bad that many in the industry are pushing for a policy that they will not use any agent that has charged the workers fees.

#Labour Rights #slavefreeseafood stopthetraffik togetherwecan

Labour rights in Seafood Industry in Thailand

Thailand has over 2mil migrant workers with 80% of those coming from Myanmar. In the fishing industry, the largest group affected by slavery in the seafood industry are people from Myanmar. Sompong Srakaew founded the Labour Rights Promotion Network (LPN) in 2006 because of the injustices he saw in the treatment of migrant workers in Thailand’s seafood processing industry. Sompong began working on migrant worker issues as early as the 1990s, after graduating with a degree in social work.

LPN’s ultimate goal is to empower workers and their communities and improve working conditions across the seafood-processing sector. LPN is actively establishing partnerships with the private sector in and around Samut Sakhon province to promote greater supply chain transparency and foster improved working conditions. The organization’s “Worker Voice Program” raises awareness about labour rights among Thai and migrant workers. LPN is also developing The Fishermen Centre Prototype to address the root cause of human trafficking and IUU fishing in Southeast Asia’s fishing sector. MAST's immediate goals include the establishment of fishermen drop-in centres at major ports where fishing workers can receive direct assistance (legal aid, health services, food & shelter), access information about their rights, and organize into their own volunteer networks. LPN has the vision to expand to 22 coastal provinces.

LPN, MAST (Multi-stakeholder Initiative for Accountable Supply Chain of Thai Fisheries), and Chicago-Kent College of Law are also developing the “Digital Intake @ Fishermen Centre” to set the prototype of an official grievance mechanism for more convenience and the best benefit for fishermen. Working with MAST, Chicago-Kent, and TMFG (Thai and Migrant Fishers Union Group), the plan is to use this new approach to develop the drop-in centre into a real “Fishermen Centre” for the digital era.

Video Clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSD5pCn7DMc

#slavefreeseafood stopthetraffik togetherwecan #Labour Rights

The Prawn Supply Chain

Above you will see the infographic that simply maps out the supply chain of farmed prawns. In the past, there has been human trafficking and slavery on the fishing vessels for the catching of “trash fish” for the production of fishmeal to feed the prawns, on the prawn farms, the processing/ peeling factories.

News providers including The Guardian, Associated Press, and The New York Times, have reported multiple instances of human trafficking in the prawn industry in Thailand and SE Asia. Despite recent governmental developments, a variety of issues remain including: high risk recruitment practices, labour agent practices, corruption, inadequate labour inspections and prosecution, and continuing indicators of forced labour.

Some companies like Nestlé, are finding that they are having to persist at tackling the problems in the supply chain. They have worked at increased supply chain traceability by forming additional partnerships with NGOs, government, and producers. BAP (The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices) 3rd party certification program has seen the vulnerability of outsourcing and have gone as far as to prohibited outsourcing to prawn processing/peeling sheds. The supply chain issues are complex, hidden and because it is so profitable people trying to tackling the issues are having to persist.

Some helpful learnings on diligence and persistence in this area has been developed by NGO, Fishwise. They propose that seafood buyers for imported prawns (and seafood) should:

1. Map it: Request full traceability to legal vessels, farms, and inputs

2. Analyze: Conduct a risk assessment and focus work on areas of the highest risk

3. Commit and track: Ensure that each link in the supply chain makes a binding, documentable commitment to social responsibility goals and to tracking progress against those goals

4. Communicate with vendors: Share concerns with vendors and ensure improvements are made

5. Audit and certify: Support unannounced labour audits of vessels, farms, and processing facilities and seek certification or adhere to best practice guidance

6. Communicate with consumers: Provide clear information to consumers regarding sourcing and sustainability

7. Engage: Participate in multi-stakeholder dialogues and support relevant policy to combat illegal fishing and human rights or labour abuses

8. Support improvements: Consider supporting Fishery and Aquaculture Improvement Projects with social components or providing support to social initiatives

9. Share: Promote transparency and positive social stories [1]

[1] https://www.fishwise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2017.07.19_BRIEFING-ON-HUMAN-TRAFFICKING-AND-ABUSE-IN-THAILAND’S-SHRIMP-SUPPLY-CHAINS-1.pdf

Asia Region Anti-trafficking Conference - Day Two

Building on yesterday’s emphasis on collaboration, today looked at current examples of partnerships and delved more deeply into how specific stakeholders work together to tackle human trafficking across various sectors.

The first session of the morning addressed the fishing industry. It brought together a labour rights perspective, a legal voice and medical opinion to show how the three have joined forces to improve the wellbeing of Thai fishing communities and migrant workers at sea. Sompong Srakae, of Labour Rights Promotion Network and TIP Report Person of the Year 2009, spoke of the progress that has been made in Thailand, particularly in terms of recognising trafficking as a problem, over the past ten years but also noted the challenges and politics still to be overcome in the future. Dornnapha Sukkree, founder of MAST (Multi-stakeholder Initiative for Accountable Supply Chain of Thai Fisheries), talked about the importance of offering legal and medical support to victims when they return from sea. Dr. Katherine Welch of Relentless, built on Dornnapha’s presentation by stressing the need to provide both mental and physical healthcare and support to survivors as they reintegrate into the workplace. Her work model is based on trauma informed care that strives to help survivors without re-terrorising them.

The second session explored how big business and NGOs can work together with the common aim of advancing the rights of workers. Global Sustainability Director of Thai Union, the biggest producer of canned tuna worldwide, Dr. Darian McBain presented on the company’s SeaChange program. The program aims to ensure that the seas are sustainable, that workers are safe, legally employed and empowered, and that fishing vessels are legal and operate responsibly. She spoke of the use of technology to enable workers out at sea to communicate with land and raise the alarm when abuse occurs. Mark Taylor, of the ISSARA Institute, similarly demonstrated the power of technology in empowering and informing migrant workers. The ISSARA Institute has developed an app for Myanmar workers, where they can rate employers, labour brokers, service providers and NGOs, so that potential migrant workers are informed and can migrate safely. ISSARA, as an independent third party, offers support to both workers and businesses through a worker-centric labour monitoring system that allows grievances to be raised and positive feedback to be passed along.

After a coffee break, the next session explored the role of the financial sector in disrupting human trafficking. Speakers from Liberty Asia and Thomas Reuters talked about their collaboration in identifying publicly convicted human traffickers and feeding a database of names through to financial institutions. Due to international money laundering laws and legal requirements on banks to do due diligence on customers, financial institutions can flag inexplicable transactions and through the database link them with publicly identified traffickers. The collaboration views human trafficking as a business activity and aims to shave off the profits involved to make the illicit industry less appealing.

The fourth session of the day explored how trauma recovery and sustainable, decent employment have to go hand-in-hand during the recovery period. Matthew Fairfax, founder of Justice and Soul (a freedom business in Cambodia), talked about restoring dignity and confidence in the work environment without asking about workers’ pasts. For Fairfax, employment is about his employee’s future. Micaela Cronin, CEO of Hagar International, similarly spoke of the need to ensure the whole body is healed, which is individual specific and takes time.

The final session explored the role of law and legal bodies in enforcing, shaping and changing existing regulation to put survivors of human trafficking first. Archana Kotecha made a captivating presentation on the laws surrounding victim compensation. She argued for the need to go after the assets of traffickers; without ceasing their assets, no matter how many survivors are set free, traffickers can just set up business again and the abuse continues with a new set of victims. Archana offered an intriguing proposition: victim compensation should come directly from the seized assets of traffickers. Professor Jennifer Burns brought the day to a close by exploring the difficulties in getting victim compensation, particularly when the exploiters don’t have assets. She startled numerous people by announcing that forced marriage has recently been identified as a growing problem in Australia, which for the first time has become a source country. Despite the difficulties, Prof. Burn has successfully defended many victims in court and received millions of dollars of compensation. For anyone interested in learning more about forced marriage in Australia she urged to check out www.mybluesky.org.au

It was a day of learning for everyone. We heard from diverse stakeholders in the fight against human trafficking are and how we can come together in support and collaboration around our shared goal.

SMH Article // Oroton, Pumpkin Patch and Lorna Jane shamed for low transparency of supply chains

Since she was 12, Jessica has been spinning cotton in the fabric mills of southern India, mostly to be used in the clothes of Western fashion brands.

Now in her late teens, Jessica is not only struggling with health issues caused by the constant inhalation of cotton fibres, but she's fighting to receive the full lump sum payment her family was promised for years of bonded labour.

Jessica's story is typical of some 300,000 young women in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where they've been lured with promises of money and safe accommodation but instead been abused and exploited.

"I stayed at the hostel where there were 300 other girls," Jessica told a labour rights advocate for a recent report. "There were only 10 bathrooms. Twenty girls were squeezed into one room."

The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse that killed 1136 garment workers in Bangladesh shone a spotlight on the use of dirt-cheat labor by major brands. In the wake of the collapse, new reports show some companies are making progress in stamping out child labour and exploitation.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP THE TRAFFIK IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY #makefashiontraffikfree

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/oroton-pumpkin-patch-and-lorna-jane-shamed-for-low-transparency-of-supply-chains-20160420-goauoh

#news #media #coverage #press