Okay, Nestle. We’ll take a break…
With the announcement that as of 2013, Kit Kat two-finger in the UK and Ireland will join its four-finger sibling in going Fairtrade! It’s busy work, pressuring companies to weed out trafficking in their supply chains. Today, for a moment, we can have a quick break and celebrate; from next year we no longer have … Read more
BBC investigates child trafficking in Ivory Coast
The BBC has been in the Ivory Coast investigating the state of child trafficking on cocoa farms there. Humphrey Hawksley, friend of STOP THE TRAFFIK, reminds us that every day that passes, young boys are still being trafficked, far from home, and that our chocolate is still not TRAFFIK FREE. This is urgent. So on … Read more
A smokey sweet global news round
Smokey Activists in Africa are upset about the government’s decision to promote tobacco production but not just because smoking is predicted to be the leading cause of deaths worldwide by 2030 killing 8 million people a year. Tanzania has already seen an increase in trafficking onto tobacco plantations so if there is an increased … Read more
Nestlé, Wish you were here!
Where are you headed on holiday over the next few months? If you are headed to Australia you’re in chocolaty luck because you’ll be able to find traffik-free 4 finger Kit Kat bars and by the end of 2011, Nestlé has committed to making their entire Australian Kit Kat range traffik-free and UTZ certified! Read more… Not … Read more
Traffik-free chocolate where you live
Today is World Day Against Child Labour, sponsored by the International Labour Organization. For a couple of years now activists around the world have been campaigning hard to get the chocolate companies to get on board with using cocoa in their products that isn’t grown and picked using trafficked child labour. From sending postcards, letters, … Read more
Confused by the price of chocolate
Today dear readers, I am a little confused. For the last few months, we have been following news coming form the Ivory Coast very closely and something occurred to me over the weekend. When countries supplying the world with oil are a touch turbulent (e.g. Iraq / Libya ….) oil prices soar. Over a … Read more
GLOBAL News Round 25.3.2011
Trinidad and Tobago The Slave Trade Act was passed 204 years ago today. In T&T they are commemorating the day with the inaugural celebration of Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In recognition of the day, the Caribbean Umbrella Body for Restorative Behaviour (Curb) has launched an online network which they hope will help end human trafficking and … Read more
‘Have a Heart Nestlé’ Twitter Awards
In the run up to Valentine’s day, people from all over the world used love poems and Valentine’s messages on Twitter to tell Nestlé to ‘Have A Heart’ and put an end to trafficked labour in their supply chains. We thought we’d give some public recognition to the literary genius of STOP THE TRAFFIK supporters … Read more
Global News 20/12/2010
China In the shadows of the skyscrapers and shopping malls that mark China’s economic transformation, homelessness is increasingly rife. You’d think that homeless shelters would be integral to tackling this growing problem – but reports from Beijing suggest that one such shelter has been exploiting the very people it claimed to be supporting. 11 residents … Read more
Global News 18/11/2010
US Last week in New York, the UN launched a fund which will provide legal, humanitarian and financial aid to victims of human trafficking. Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon summed up the plight faced by trafficking victims quite neatly: “Many victims end up stranded, friendless… and may not ask for help because they … Read more
Bitter Sweet update on Chocolate…
Hey Everyone! Here’s an update on what’s currently happening in Europe around the chocolate industry, thanks to Antoinie, STOP THE TRAFFIK Netherlands: Last week Thursday, Tulane University published their latest report on trafficking and the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa industry of West Africa. The findings were shocking, to say the least. … Read more
Exploitation of labor rights in Chocolate production is ongoing
The worst forms of child labor, forced labor and trafficking of children have not been eradicated yet, on the contrary, a newly released study gives real evidence about the widespread practices and the ineffectiveness of the industry’s efforts. Nine years ago, a voluntary agreement called the Harkin-Engel Protocol was signed by the cocoa and chocolate … Read more
Diamonds- until death do us part
You’ve probably heard the phrase ”Blood Diamond” before. Possibly you’ve seen the film. And if you’re even vaguely familiar with the subject, you’d probably wish you didn’t know that beneath the sparkle of a ‘girl’s best friend’, lies a very unsettling contradiction. In Zimbabwe, like in many parts of Africa, diamonds are seen as a major … Read more
Global News
Benin- 87 traffickers have been prosecuted and jailed the National Agency for the Prohibition for Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) while it has also rehabilitated more than 4,000 victims since establishing in 2003. There are many Nigerian women forced in the sex industry in Europe (around 10,000 in Italy alone). A project has been commissioned for … Read more
Reverse Trick or Treating
Halloween 2010 is just around the corner, are that means you can participate in the Fourth Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treating! This year, make an even bigger difference for cocoa growing communities. Forced labor in the cocoa industry will not end unless EACH ONE OF US takes action! Reverse Trick-or-Treating is an initiative launched by Global Exchange. … Read more
Albino hunter sells victim
A 28-year-old Kenyan has been arrested by Tanzanian police for trying to sell another man for his body parts. In a sting operation, police pretended to be businessmen buying albino body parts, which are highly prized in Tanzania by witchdoctors for their alleged healing properties. Police struck a deal equivalent to over $250,000 with the man … Read more
PRICE OF FREEDOM- Giving a Helping hand to Traffickers?
Looking through some old postcards, I came across some I had bought at the Nelson Mandela Touch Gallery when I visited Sydney, Australia. There’s someone who has truly touched the world! You’re probably wandering what this could possibly have to do with human trafficking? You may have a point! But I want to share this … Read more
3. What if…?
…a friend realised the ‘Nigerian nanny’ of her neighbour was trafficked for domestic servitude?
Witchcraft Abuse: A method of coercion and submission
A few months ago I attended a talk around child trafficking from Africa to the UK (hosted by AFRUCA). I learnt how witchcraft abuse can extend further than increasing vulnerability to trafficking (as I talked about in my last post) and can be used as method of ensuring obedience. Often, victims of trafficking do not … Read more
Landmark Judgement in Niger
Last week, the West African Regional Courts passed a landmark judgement that may potentially enable those trafficked and enslaved in West Africa to receive better protection against slavery, and receive compensation from their governments. The government of Niger has been ordered to pay Hadijatou Mani 10m CFA francs (USD 20,000) as compensation for failing to … Read more
