[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e would think that slavery has been abolished a long time ago. But modern day slavery is rampant in many supply chains. Where does cotton in t-shirts or tantalum in smart phones come from?
Have you ever thought about it? The story of our lives as consumers affect the stories of those people at the end of the supply chain. We know deep down people do care about this issue. Yes, they do.
Slavery Footprint.org has undertaken a mission to educate consumers about modern day slavery into encouraging people to urge brands to audit their supply chains.
“In a recent documentary following BBC around the world, documentarians travel to the garment industry in India for a closer look at the lives behind our wardrobe… Here, there are children as young as 8 working 12 to 14 hour days for as little as $1 a week. They were sold into slavery by their parents as payment for debt or because their families were unable to provide enough food for them. In many cases, child labor is a necessity for families to support themselves.
Once these children enter, it is extremely difficult for them to leave. Often times they are moved around and are unfamiliar with their surroundings, they fear the police, and have no one to look to for aid. As a child spends more time in the factory or workshop, they develop more skills and become more valuable then they are sold again. Trapped and hopeless, these children go unnoticed to most of the world.”
If we simple try to answer this question:
How do companies make clothing so cheaply now?
This will undoubtedly lead us to the source of modern day slavery. For one thing, cheap clothes are produced at high volumes so these companies are able to take a small markup on the clothes but that is not all. The other ingredient is cheap labour (or free labour) in developing countries).
There are many ways you can help in making this world free of forced labour. Find out what your slavery footprint is and take action.
http://www.slaveryfootprint.
Article written by illuzone
