Jan 062012
As I mentioned in my last post, cotton is second only to gold on the list of the commodities most widely produced by child labor. It got me to wondering, what are the other top commodities produced by child labor? It didn’t take much digging to find out. Here they are, as reported by the United States Department of Labor in 1009 (the latest year it’s available)
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- Gold
Along with the Victoria’s Secret cotton story, this story also made headlines in December. Unfortunately, there is very little traceable gold out there. But, if you’re looking for jewelry, you can start by checking out Fair Jewelry Action. Not only do they take on the gold industry, but they’re taking on the diamond cartels, too. Child labor is supplying the world gold market from Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Niger, North Korea, Peru, Philippines, Senegal and Tanzania. - Cotton
Don’t think (or stop thinking) that slave production of cotton ended with the US civil war. It’s just moved off shore. In 2011, the USDA reported that global consumption of cotton was 24.2 million metric tons. Most of that is produced in China and India/Pakistan, with US production at a distant third place. But China, India and Pakistan are all on the list of places that use child and forced labor in their cotton production. Other places include: Burkina Faso (the source of the now infamous Victoria’s Secret so-called fair trade cotton), Argentina, Azerbaijan, Benin, Brazil, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Paraguay, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Bricks
Here’s one we don’t think about very much. Most of us probably don’t go out to buy bricks very often. But think about it. Just about every building project needs them, and even though you’d think their weight might make importing bricks cost-prohibitive, there is a huge international market for them. Next time you’re doing a building project, ask your contractor where your bricks are coming from. And remember, bricks recycle. Countries using child and forced labor to manufacture bricks include: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan, Peru, and Uganda.
- Sugar
The United States has a sweet tooth. And to satisfy it, the USDA reports that we imported over 3.1 million metric tons of it in 2011. And it’s not just what you put on your breakfast cereal in the morning or stir into your coffee. Read the label on just about anything in the grocery store and some form of sugar is probably mixed into it. Fortunately, you can find fair trade sugar. Check out Wholesome Sweeteners. Or, if you’re buying Domino or some other big brand, watch out for “Product of” labels that mention: Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and Uganda.
- Tobacco
Here’s another of those crops you might think of as having been produced by slaves on plantations a long time ago. Truth is, most tobacco is grown in foreign lands and imported now. And those foreign tobacco plantations haven’t kicked the slave labor habit. If you thought about quitting smoking this year, here’s yet another reason to kick the habit. Your nicotine fix may well be courtesy of children and slaves in the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Coffee
Ah, that boost so many of us need to get ourselves up and moving in the morning. But that Folgers in your cup comes at a much higher price than you’re paying at the supermarket checkout. Fortunately, a huge variety of great fair trade coffees is now available in just about every place you look. Many small local roasters use fair trade beans. Even Starbucks has it, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Coffee sourced by child and forced labor comes from just about everywhere coffee is grown: Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Tanzania, and Uganda.
- Rice
Many Americans may be more accustomed to wheat and corn, but rice ranks right up there with the staple foods of the world. And more and more, rice is becoming a common alternative to potatoes and rolls on our dinner plates. Next time you buy a bag, see if you can figure out where it was grown. Children are working the rice fields in Brazil, Burma, Dominican Republic, India, Kenya, Mali, Philippines, and Uganda.
- Coal
You’ve all seen those pictures of coal miners in Appalachia, covered from head to toe with soot. You’ve heard about black lung disease, and dangerous conditions in mines. Now think about the children who are forced to work the even less regulated mines of China, Colombia, Mongolia, North Korea, Pakistan, and Ukraine. Your power company probably has a program for your to buy your power from wind, solar, or small hydro suppliers. Maybe now is the time to call that 1-800 number on your electric bill and make the switch.
- Garments
Next time you get dressed, take a moment to look at your clothing labels. It’ll be a rare exception if any of it says, “Made in the USA.” In the 1970s and 80s clothing manufacturers began to off-shore production of clothing to South America to take advantage of lower labor costs. That savings, as it turns out, was made possible by the widespread use of sweatshop labor. But even the South American labor force wasn’t cheap enough, so now you’ll find more and more clothing produced in Asian sweatshops. Buyer beware if your label says made in Argentina, China, India, Jordan, Malaysia, or Thailand.
- Pornography
Think about it. Child porn is illegal in the US, and probably most other places. And yet it makes the top 10 list of “commodities produced using child labor.” The underground market for it is huge. And, of course, it’s everywhere. But the places that produce the most of it are: Colombia, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and Ukraine.
So, there you have them. The top 10 list of shame. Did any of these surprise you? Are there others you thought would be there, but aren’t? I’ve offered a few suggestions about how you might go about minimizing your child-labor footprint. Perhaps others come to mind for you. If so, please do share them in the comments.
