Chocolate Fair Trade: (excerpt from FAIR TRADE NEWSLETTER January, 2011)

Of the cost of a $1.00 chocolate bar, the candy company gets 95 cents and the farmer gets 5 cents. Research by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture revealed that 248,000 children between ages 5 and 12 work in hazardous conditions on West African cocoa farms. 67% do not attend school, are underfed, locked in filthy quarters, work 12 hours a day, are unpaid and have never tasted chocolate.

For more info: globalexchange.org/cocoa

Ask for Fair Trade Products (FTC) at:
◊Whole Foods: coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, wine, rice, flowers
◊Traders Joe’s: coffee
◊Target: Wandering Grape FTC wine

Human Trafficking—from Jean Okroi, IBVM

Human Trafficking is not only thriving but a growing global phenomenon. Statistics indicate that it is now the second largest international crime. On any given day 2.5 million persons are victims of human trafficking. Presently, it is a $32 billion a year industry, with sex trafficking alone accounting for $19 billion.

Solving the issue of human trafficking is complicated! Trafficking is both an international organized crime and a “mom and pop” operation. Supply and demand are the root causes with the underlying factor being greed. As long as demand exists in our country vulnerable women and children will continue to meet the demand experiencing violence, harm and slavery. In addition, as long as people remain unaware of the extent of this crime the violence and harm experienced by victims will continue to increase. In the United States, human trafficking is
primarily sexual exploitation and forced labor. However, in the global world it is for those two purposes along with mail order brides, organ removal and child soldiers.
In Chicago, one out of every three teens living on the streets will get caught into prostitution. A pimp picks them up, uses them and then sells them into human trafficking. Caught in the trafficking web, they become a commodity, slaves bought and sold numerous times. Approximately 1,000 United States children (those under 18 years of age) become victims of
traffickers annually.

Victims of human trafficking are between the ages of 5 to 24 years. Some work in the sex industry. Others as young as 5 years of age work 12 hours a day in fields picking berries, coffee and cocoa beans. Human trafficking is a violation of human rights occurring in every part
of the world as well as in our cities and neighborhoods.

Counteracting this crime requires cooperation and shared responsibility. Six IBVM sisters and
one CJ are raising awareness or working directly with trafficking victims in the following
countries. They are Andrea Bezakova CJ, Czechoslovakia; Cyril Mooney,India; Imelda Poole, Albania; Janet Palafox, Australia; Mary O’Farrell, Italy; Jean Okroi, United States; Monica Shanley, Ireland; and Sabrina Edwards, NGO United Nations in India.

What can you do?
◊ Learn more about the issue.
◊ Raise awareness with family, friends and neighbors.
◊ Ask your Pastor or a principal to sponsor a talk.
◊ Challenge others to give up purchasing slave-made clothes, food or other products.