(copyright Monte Wolverton)

Slavery was officially abolished worldwide at the 1927 Slavery Convention. Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

"No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms".

Slavery is illegal everywhere and yet it still exists everywhere. Experts estimate that today there are 27 million people enslaved around the world (source). Outright "plantation slavery" doesn't exist anymore. Slavery today is hidden and has taken on many different and subtler forms like sex trafficking, bonded labor or debt bondage, forced domestic labor, forced agricultural labor etc. It takes place outside of the public's view, in brothels, homes, fields, restaurants... There is still a strong racist element in modern slavery, but it's not exclusively racist. Sex slavery for example is not. Domestic slavery also is not necessarily racist.

Types of modern slavery:

1. Bonded labor or debt bondage

Poverty ... forces many parents to offer themselves or their own children as collateral against a loan. Though they are promised they will work only until their debt is paid off, the reality is much grimmer. Thanks to inflated interest rates and fresh debts incurred while being fed and housed, the debt becomes impossible to pay off. As a result, it is often inherited by the bonded laborer's children, perpetuating a vicious cycle that can claim several generations. (source)

2. Sex slavery

(source)

Women and girls are promised jobs and income abroad but on arrival their passports are taken away and they are forced to work in the sex industry in order to pay off the debt they owe the "transporters". Outright kidnapping also occurs. Not all human trafficking is linked to or ends up in slavery, but some does.

Sex slavery is not necessarily an international problem or a problem linked to migration. Fathers, husbands or brothers can also force the women in the family to prostitute themselves locally, sometimes as a means to service debt. Girls are often even sold by their families.

More on women's rights.

3. Forced labor

This is also linked to human trafficking. People pay "transporters" to take them to another country where they hope to find a job and a better life. Instead, they are forced to work in order to pay their debt. Needless to say that they often work in harsh and hazardous conditions. Organized crime plays an important role in this an in other types of modern slavery.

Another type of forced labor are the labor camps for "criminals" that exist in some countries, such as China (where they are called Loagai).

4. Child labor

(source)

Here's a separate post on child labor. Child labor is forced labor and hence slavery because children do not choose to work but are forced to because of the poverty of their parents.

5. Domestic slavery

This often occurs in rich countries, and especially in the upper classes of rich countries. Diplomats also sometimes harbor unpaid domestic workers because they find it relatively easy to by-pass immigration checks.

Overview:

Slave redemption:

This is an effort to buy the freedom of slaves. But it's controversial.

"When you hape people running around buying up slaves, you help create a market demand for more slaves... It's like paying the burglar for the television set he just stole. ... The slave traders end up with more money, buying more guns and hiring more thugs to go out and take more slaves". (source).

Moreover, you end up with people picking up other people who are not slaves and presenting them as slaves in order to receive some money for their "freedom".

Sivakasi located in Dharmapuri district,TamilNadu was well known for child labour. Few years back almost all the children from the nearby villages were working in the fireworks and matchbox factories.After some serios actions from the government and some initiatives from NGO's helped the childrens to go back to school and now the strength of child labours was almost reduced and few friends of mine from that souuroundings says that nowadays no children are working in the fireworks factories. May be in the holidays they are working.  And in chennai also we can see a little improvemnt in the removal of child labours and lot of NGO's are working on this now.

But still a long way to go. Lets hope for the best. It's my long time dream to see a child labor less universe. It's not only the responsibility of government...it is the responsibility of every individual. Lets make it. :)

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 569

“Phnom Penh: Civil society organizations and officials of the government have expressed different opinions regarding the right to get jobs in Cambodia in the first three months of 2008.

“An under-secretary of state of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, Mr. Um Mean, said that those who say that nowadays there are no jobs for its citizens in Cambodia, they are not blind, but they pretend to be blind and deaf, because now there are markedly more factories, and Cambodia has a broad range of industries, of tourism, and of transportation and communication jobs; those enterprises even lack workers.

“Though trade unions and garment factories’ representatives had agreed to increase the basic salary up to US$50 per month on 19 October 2006, this increase cannot match with the inflation in the markets.

“According to a 2007 report of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association [ADHOC], about 300,000 persons join the labor force every year, but only 16,000 among them are graduated students who are seeking jobs. However, only 10% of these graduates can get adequate jobs.

“The new laborers who join the labor force face difficulties to get jobs in the areas where they live, forcing 250,000 of them to migrate from rural areas to major cities, especially to Phnom Penh; a large number of them cross the borders illegally to neighboring countries to seek jobs. The garment sector in Cambodia absorbs about 300,000 workers, but it cannot employ all migrant workers.

“[The president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association] Mr. Rong Chhun said that most investors coming to invest in Cambodia have their own skilled workers and senior managers; their Cambodian staff can only work, for example, as unskilled construction workers. Mr. Rong Chhun added that at the present time, the majority of Cambodian citizens has no paid employment, and this strongly affects their livelihood because of inflation, which makes the prices of all kinds of good skyrocket; this forces parents to stop sending their children to school, so that they rather help to seek additional income to cover daily expenses, and among them are many who work as scavengers at garbage dumps, though they are children.

“According to the survey by ADHOC, the shortage of employment for youth seriously affects children working at certain production areas that are not well organized, like rubber plantations, salt field, brick and tile kilns, and in general in Poipet. Most of the children working there are from 10 to 17 years old, and they do all kinds of work that normally adults do, such as rubber tapping, carrying heavy goods on racks on their shoulders, dragging carts, or carrying salt yokes.

“This ADHOC report added that part of this working situation exists because it does not seem to get proper attention, and nobody respects the rights of the working children, for example, in the work at some mines in Mondolkiri. There is no respect of workers’ rights, the workers get hit as punishment; moreover, those companies do not allow human rights organizations to gather information or to observe all kinds of abuse of workers’ rights. Furthermore, some mines broke in and workers were killed. Those companies can do so, because the government does not observe and check whether all contracts between the companies and the government are implemented, and the government is also not caring to monitor the abuses of workers’ rights.

“Mr. Rong Chhun said that at the present in Cambodia, Khmer citizens are facing many difficulties when seeking jobs. He said that if Cambodia had a lot of employment opportunities, Khmer citizens would not migrate to work in other countries; the majority of migration leads to Thailand and to Malaysia, and a smaller number people goes to work in South Korea. Among those who go abroad, some do it legally and some are illegal workers; they are mistreated, oppressed, and threatened, both mentally and physically, by people from those countries who accuse them of coming into their countries illegally; they may be detained, until there are interventions on their behalf to help them return to their home countries.” Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #51, 17.7.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 17 July 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1695, 17.7.2008

• Cambodia and Thailand Plan to Negotiate at High Level to Lessen the Tense Situation along the Border; 250 Black-Clad Thai Border Protection Unit Troops Have Not Withdrawn from Tuol Prasat Pagoda in Khmer Territory
  Thai Soldiers Came to Check Border Markers at the Site of a Bridge on Khmer Territory at the Poipet International Border Crossing [16 July 2008]
• Radio and Television Channels Are Accused of Disregarding the Instructions of the National Election Committee [about sale, rent, or provision of air time to political parties, and to disregard broadcasting policies – those channels are: Bayon Television, Apsara Television, Phnom Penh Municipal Television, Cambodian Television Network CTN, Radio FM 88 MHz, Radio FM 90 MHz, Radio FM 95 MHz, Radio FM 97 MHz, Radio FM 98 MHz, Radio FM 99 MHz, Radio FM 103 MHz, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of America [most of them, except for the last two, are Cambodian People's Party oriented]
• Cambodian Mine Action Center [CMAC] Has Cleared 15 Million Square Meter of Landmines in the Period of Six Month in 2008 [according to General Director of CMAC Mr. Khem Sophoan]
• Man, 42, Raped Six-Year-Old Girl, Killed Her, Gouged Her Eyes, and Threw Her into a Pond [Thma Puok, Banteay Meanchey]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #51, 17.7.2008

• Officials of the Government and Civil Society Organizations Are Concerned about Employment and Work in Cambodia
• Civil Society Organizations Raised Human Trafficking as an Issue for Political Parties to Find Solutions
• Meat of Wild Animals Is Famous in Restaurants [Siem Reap]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6399, 17.7.2008

• Another New Bank from Korea Inaugurated ['Best Specialized Bank']

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3514, 16.7.2008

• Information about the Release of Tim Sakhan Is Kept Secret [he had been defrocked on an accusation of having perpetrated an offense against the Buddhist law, he was accused to have destroyed the harmony between Vietnam and Cambodia and arrested – but later released: no information about where he is]

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4643, 17.7.2008

• Royal Academy of Cambodia Publishes Homonyms [a word that both sounds and is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning] and Paronyms [a word derived from the same root, or with the same sound, as another word] Dictionary
• Opposition Party President of Malaysia [Anwar Ibrahim] Arrested [on 16 July 2008 on the Accusation of having sex with his male assistant – he denies it and calls it a fabrication to exclude him from politics]
• Thai Supreme Commander General Boonsang Niempradit Told the Military to Maintain a Neutral Position in Politics [after the Chief of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal General Chalit Phukpasuk, had twice participated in events of the opposition movement of the People's Alliance for Democracy in his military uniform]

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3361, 17.7.2008

• The US Federal Bureau of Investigation [Phnom Penh office] and US Embassy Want to Help to Arrest the Real Murderers Who Killed the Journalist [Mr. Khim Sambo and his son, aged 21], but the Government Does Not Need Them [the government is reported to have responded that it will ask for help when it needs it]
• Officials of the Ministry of Water Resources Accuse One of [Minister of Economy] Keat Chhon’s Followers, the Official Hul Ponnarath, of Destroying what Khmer Citizens Are Interested in [by not cooperating with project management officials, and claiming two new pick-up cars for his personal use, which stalls the project implementation at seven locations in the east of the country]
• Kandal Fishery Official [Khlaing Vanthol] Allows Yuon [Vietnamese] Merchants to Use Illegal Fishery Tools

Have a look at the last editorial - The struggle towards openness and access to information happens in many places - and it may help to mutually learn from other experiences.


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(source)

A poverty trap occurs when poverty has effects which act as causes of poverty, creating a vicious circle in which poverty engenders more poverty, a circle of cumulative causation leading to a downward spiral of ever more extreme poverty.

Poverty traps or poverty circles can be of different kinds: individual, social, national, international...

1. Individual poverty traps

A poverty trap can be limited to the purely individual: for example, a person being discouraged by his or her situation or misfortune, and thereby sinking deeper into misfortune because of inactivity. 

2. Regional poverty traps

The poverty trap may also have a regional aspect: some parts of the country or the population may be poor because they are isolated geographically from the rest of the population and the main centres of wealth and prosperity.

Profitable business opportunities may be few, and thus productive employment lacking, owing to poor transport and communication links with those centres. But the low level of economic activity in the isolated region means that transport services are inadequate and that improved transport infrastructure cannot be economically justified, thus perpetuating the isolation. (source)

3. Racial/ethnic poverty traps

The isolation may also be racial or ethnic. This may harm their self-esteem or their sense of responsibility for their own advancement. The responsibility for their fate is, not without reason, projected on others, but this can become a fetish creating passivity and hence more poverty.

This is linked to racism, segregation, apartheid, xenophobia etc. 

4. Social poverty traps

Poor people, because they tend to be more often sick, hungry and weak, don't manage to get well paid jobs or - if they are independent producers - tend to produce less. As a result, they have less money, less food, and limited access to health care. And because of this, they get even more hungry, weak or sick, and the circle starts again (click on the image to enlarge):

(source)

Another example: an individual is poor because his or her parents are poor; because of this, a good education becomes problematic - the children may have to work instead of attending school; without a good education the individual does not acquire the tools and capabilities to escape poverty, may succumb to the tempation of crime, and as a result sinks deeper into poverty.

5. National poverty traps

Low income leads to low savings; low savings lead to low investment; low investment leads to low productivity and low incomes. Poverty leads to environmental degradation, which in turn undermines the assets of the poor and exacerbates poverty. Poverty can lead to violence and conflict, and the associated destruction of physical, human, social and organizational capital in turn causes poverty to intensify. (source)

6. International poverty traps

A poor country may have to rely on its natural resources for its exports and hard currency. As a result, however, other and more stable sectors of the economy are neglected and the resource curse may set in, creating poverty and forcing the other sectors even more to the background.

Some countries may find that they are regionally isolated from the global economic centres, much like some social groups can be regionally isolated within a country (see point 2 above). Their import markets are too far away from the main exporters, or too difficult to reach because of the poverty of the country and the resulting lack of investments in infrastructure and transport facilities.

Needless to say that the different kinds of poverty traps can exacerbate each other, and thereby creating a "poverty trap of poverty traps", a vicious circle in which different poverty traps reinforce each other. This sounds quite apocalyptic, but fortunately seems to be only a theoretical possibility because globally poverty is actually on the retreat, but only on average. Many countries, many social groups and many individuals are still terribly poor, and the poverty traps are one reason.

More on poverty.

(source)

Unless it's in agriculture, landscaping, driving an ATV, or working for a traveling youth crew, it could be worse.

Check this list of NCL's 2008 Five Worst Jobs for Teens, a compilation by child labor advocates of the most dangerous jobs for working youth under the age of 18. Some of the jobs are completely legal, and others are not, but they're all very dangerous.

Each year, NCL staff assembles the list using government statistics and reports, results from the Child Labor Coalition’s annual survey of state labor departments, and news accounts of injuries and deaths. Statistics and examples of injuries for each job on the list are detailed in a report available here.

If you don't know what Trade As One is, it's primarily an online store that sells Fair Trade (e.g., no child labor, living wages paid, gender equality, environmental stewardship), high-quality products from around the world. These products range from coffee and sugar to hand-made fashion accessories and housewares. And they are beautiful!

Read more about its mission.

A couple of weekends ago, BGP and I signed up to be Trade As One partners. What that means is that I can spread the word about Trade As One and track how my friends, family, and even strangers like you are making a difference. I don't get any credit for it.

So why am I doing it? Because I support the ideal that it's putting one's faith into action. It's beyond charity in that it actually provides fair employment for people around the world. It can mean that a woman will no longer have to turn to prostitution to support her family. Or that a child will not have to work in a miserable factory. I also thinks that it puts the responsibility on those of us who "have" to extend a helping hand...

As a Trade As One partner, I was assigned a partner ID (#127). When you make your purchase, it would be great if you could use this number as a reference. As I mentioned, I don't get any credit or points for it. It just lets me know how your purchases have made a difference. For example, right now I have $50 worth of purchases, which has employed a woman in the developing world for 10 hours.

So what are you waiting for? Start shopping and start helping.

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 568

“Phnom Penh: The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture [CEDAC] has finished a project to help improve the living standards of the poor in five southern provinces of Cambodia in June 2008. This project was funded by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction [JFPR] though the Asian Development Bank for a period of five years, and US$1.3 million were spent.

“However, what CEDAC has to think about is, after the project has finished, to choose actions that can guarantee the continuity of what has been built up. In a discussion held late June, the governor of Batheay District, Kompong Cham, raised previous experiences that there used to be many organizations assisting this district, but when their project fund came to an end, there was no continuity at all. Villagers are afraid that CEDAC might repeat the same situation when it runs out of funds. But local authorities that observe CEDAC evaluate that the project implementation of CEDAC has achieved many good results. The improvement of the living standard of the poor at the targeted community led, to some extent, to a reduction of poverty.

“Eight outstanding representative farmers from Svay Rieng, Prey Veng, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, and Takeo asserted that their families and the members of their communities are richer, because they have attended different training courses about practices of techniques by CEDAC. There they learned how the community can save money, how to breed animals and fish, or to conserve trees, to grow crops, to do rice farming based on natural methods etc., all of which is closely related to marketability of the products.

“Mr. Lang Seng Houn, a local coordinator, said that the participation by local authority representatives from villages, communes, and districts cooperating with farmers’ communities is an important factor that brings poverty alleviation at those target places. Wherever there is participation by local authorities, those places will develop more quickly.

“Mr. Lang Seng Houn showed figures that among 192 villages from five provinces, 14,300 families benefited from the project. the number of farmers who cooperated is 7,300, the living standard of 500 families changed greatly; 5,900 families experienced an average change, and 800 families got poorer. The number of women who have changed their attitudes and abandoned their old habits is 3,500, and the number of youth under the same category is 900. And 1,500 of the poorest families who sold their labor to have some income have changed their living standard and have become independent farmers; the livelihood of farmers in general is better. Generally, they can earn 80% more from the increase of the agricultural production and from the reduction of other expenses. They have stepped up the basis for this to retain the continuity of their production teams, and 718 teams have saved money - they have 6,000 families as members so that they are able to link their products to markets. Each family earns from Riel 1.4 million to Riel 2.6 million [approx. US$340 to US$635 per farming season] from their agricultural products; those are 427 families in Kompong Chhnang, Svay Rieng, and Kompong Cham. Their income is from paddy rice, from the breeding of chickens and pigs, and from the planting of vegetables and other crops.

“Dr. Yang Saing Komar [dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Rural Development, International University, Phnom Penh] pointed to key measures contributing to the sustainability when there are no more external funds. What can replace funds for farmers’ communities to guarantee the continuity of their activities are human resources who have been trained with all skills since five years, always with a link to market mechanisms. All agricultural products created by the community must be taken to markets by the farmers, and they have to sell their own products. Money saved in the community is capital to replace the external funding and can guarantee the sustainability of their community. Production and the link to markets are key methods to develop the rural economy to become active. Trained persons, 995 human resources of the community, will be the main and strong activists who can continue to develop the community without depending on external funds.

“Mr. Komar added that for economic activities money is needed, 'and we have money which was saved in our community.' By 2011, this organization has the ambition to increase the money-saving community up to 4,000 villages countrywide, without borrowing loans or depending on foreign donor countries.

“This fund will become a basic experience which can lead to a successfully functioning market that carries great responsibility for the society, especially for the living standard of farmers, and for food security for customers, which can guarantee sustainable development at the basis.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4636, 9.7.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 9 July 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1688, 9.7.2008

• The Thai Constitutional Court Ruled that a Joint Communique Signed between Cambodia and Thailand Violates the Thai Constitution [as the Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs acted without parliamentary endorsement]
• The Ministry of Health Distributed More than 80 Tonnes of Abate [chemical substance that is put into stagnant water to kill mosquito eggs and larvae] to Prevent Dengue Fever
  Thousands of Thai Demonstrators Shouted at the Police to Take Action in [deposed former prime minister] Thaksin’s Case Soon [corruption and misuse of power]
• South Korean Police Warn They Will Use Hot Actions to Suppress Demonstrators against US Beef Imports
• Thai Rebels [in a Muslim southern Thai province] Attacked a Car Carrying Students; Two [Thai] Soldiers Were Killed and Three Students Were Injured [7 July 2008]
• [Helicopter of] America Attacked a Wedding Ceremony in Afghanistan [killing at least 22 people]

Khmer Amatak, Vol.9, #602, 9.7.2008

• Cambodian People’s Party Does Not Dare to Create Ministry of Immigration [related to illegal Vietnamese]
• Ou Chrov District Police Chief [Mr. Ing Song You] Runs a Big Casino in Balat Guesthouse [Poipet]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #44, 9.7.2008

• The Preah Vihear Temple Was Listed as a World Heritage Site [8 July 2008]
• [Traffic] Accidents Increase because of [traffic] Law Violations

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4636, 9.7.2008

• CEDAC Expresses Optimism about the Sustainability of Farming
• Situation at the [Preah Vihear Temple] Border Crossing Was Quiet while Cambodia Was Beating Drums and Firing Fireworks to Express Satisfaction about the Preah Vihear Temple
• Social Network against Child Labor Was Inaugurated in Siem Reap
• European Commission Plans to spend 1,000 Million Euro against Food Crisis

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3354, 9.7.2008

• Cambodian People’s Party Did Not Participate in Political Parties’ Forum about Anti-Corruption Law [8 July 2008]

Have a look at the last editorial - Without freedom of information AND an active use of this freedom, emotions can easily lead to dangerous misunderstandings.


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Click here to listen to the interview in QuickTime

In other news, during the month of July this blog made it into the Top 100 on WordPress! Each day WordPress rates and lists the top blogs and blog postings. On July 2, my Post "The Girl Who Silenced the U.N. for Five Minutes" was the 59th most popular posting - out of more than 130,000 posts that day!!

Several years ago, I attended a protest against sweatshops where the organizers had not invited the typical rally speakers — lawyers, activists, advocates. Instead, they brought kids from the sweatshops. A child from Indonesia pointed to his face. "I got this scar when my master lashed me for not working hard enough. When it bled, he did not want me to stop working or to ruin the cloth, so he took a lighter and burned it shut. I got this scar making stuff for you."

As I shared this story with my friend, she questioned, "Well what can we DO about it?!"

That's the million-dollar question. It's a heavy prospect to realize that the clothes we wear cause people real pain and that the money we spend on them finances unethical treatment of fellow human beings. The Center for a New American Dream has some good resources about practical ways we can alter the way we live, encouraging us to "consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice."

Here are some of my suggestions for doing what we can in our daily lives to aid the problem:

1. Pay the extra money for fair trade products.

2. The way to afford fair trade products? BUY LESS!

3. Make your own clothes (and anything else that can be made out of fabric). Be resourceful about it: use old clothes/sheets/curtains/fabric to create something new and useful.

4. Visit thrift stores and garage sales...not to buy tons of cheap crap that you won't use, but to enjoy searching for things that you NEED and CAN use.

5. TRADE items with friends. It's fun.

6. SHARE what you have with your roommates, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, church members, etc.

I love clothes. But over a year ago I realized that I always bought new clothes before they ever got worn out. So I made a commitment to not buy any new clothes for a year. It was rough at first.

I don't know when it happened, but as the year went on, my coveting of new clothes seemed to disappear. As I sewed holes in jeans, skirts, and shirts, I began to learn what contentment felt like. I've passed the year of my commitment to not buying new clothes, but I have no desire to buy any anytime soon.

As a college graduation gift, my aunt generously gave me a gift certificate to Revive, a wonderful fair trade clothing store located in Cleveland Hts. On my first trip there, I was so overwhelmed with the ability to buy whatever I wanted that I ended up being unable to choose anything. I'm slightly closer to understanding what it means to have ENOUGH. Only slightly though. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Praise The Lord. Was just handed my visa and passport by a guy from Fed Ex. Leaving tonight at 7pm so get your calls in if you want to talk to me before I leave.

Woah...Phillipeans 3:10. My goal is to know the fullness of the power of the resurrection of Christ.

Health is a human rights issue in two respects.

First, people have a right to health care and health insurance. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration  states that

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is more specific. Article 7 guarantees the rights to safe and healthy working conditions. Article 10 deals with child labor:

The employment of children in work harmful to their morals or health or dangerous to life or likely to hamper their normal development should be punishable by law.

See also this post on child labor. Article 12 states:

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. 2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for: (a) The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child; (b) The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene; (c) The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases; (d) The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.

The second way in which health is a human rights issue is the fact that good health is a precondition for the enjoyment of all human rights. In this way, bad health is similar to poverty. You have to be healthy and without pain in order to be able to use freedom rights and political rights. A sick, suffering or toiling person is thrown back upon himself and unable to relate to the outside world, just as a person who concentrates exclusively on his or her body for pleasurable reasons. Intense bodily sensations of any kind - positive and negative - shut us off from the world, because they make it impossible to perceive anything except our own body. In other words, they make the use of our classical rights impossible or undesirable.

Here are some data on health, health care and health insurance:

1. Health

One traditional measure for the health of a population is the average life expectancy. Levels of infant mortality and maternal mortality are also common indicators.

Another measure is the number of doctors and other health workers per capita, on the assumption that more doctors and more health workers per capita means better health care and better health care means better health:

Still another measure is the level of daily calorie intake per person. Malnourishment leads to health problems, as does over-nourishment. Worldwide, roughly the same number of people are starving as are overweight, and this in an age when the world is producing more food than ever before:

2. Health care

Levels of infant and maternal mortality (see above) are often taken as indicators, not only of the health of a country's population, but also of the level of quality of its healthcare system (hospitals, doctors, etc.). Many cases of infant or maternal mortality are caused by deficiencies in the local health care systems.

Another indicator of the quality of health care systems is the number of doctors per capita, on the assumption that more doctors per capita means better health care (see also above).

Yet another indicator is the level of government and/or individual health care spending. One assumes that the more governments and individuals spend on health care, the better their health. This isn't always true (spending can be wasteful or misdirected), but still it's the case that very low levels of spending indicate poor health care systems:

Another indicator of the performance of health care systems is the number of people suffering from easily treatable diseases.

3. Health insurance

In some countries such as the US, a majority of people depend on private health insurance. The disadvantage of private insurance is the cost. Relatively poor people cannot afford a good insurance whereas they may run a relatively high risk of disease.

Isn’t it childhood the best symbol of modesty, happiness, honesty and purity of heart? Indeed it is, though we, sadly, realize that not all children are happy during their childhood since a great number of them are obliged to work as if they were already adults.

In Cambodia many Non Governments manifest their concern for the increasing number of child labour, especially in the city of Phnom Penh.

According to a report of the National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia, in the year 2003 the country had 27,950 children, coming from different provinces, working in domestic services in the city of Phnom Penh and neighboring villages. For this year 2008 the figure has greatly increased, according to NGOs that focus their activities on protecting the rights of children.

Mr.Chea Phidan, executive director the NGO “Vulnerable Children Assistance Organization” (VCAO) said that “given that the population of Phnom Penh has greatly increased, the child labour has increased a lot as well, though there is not any sure statistics about it yet.”

“Most of male-children work in construction, fabrics of bricks, washing cars, and farms around the city of Phnom Penh. A number of male-children also work in rural areas sowing corn, in regions like Battambang, Phailin and neighboring Thailand”. According to Mr. Phidan, 35% of those children come from Takeo province.

Mr.Phidan said: “In rural areas and towns most of children are repeatedly forced to work in agriculture. However, if the owner of the house does not run any business, the children most do the work at home, such as to clean the house, to wash the clothes and the dishes, to cook, and to take care of other children”.

Laboring Children Complain

The child labour normally implies serous injustices such salaries that make us laugh or do not receive a salary at all, plus having no time to rest. Very often, children laboring in these conditions are easy victims of rape from part of a male member of the family. These modern slaves have to live under the rule of the family they are living with and rarely can avoid the abuse of their bodies, psychological harassments and sexual abuse.

National Statistics Institute of Cambodia has reported that only 26.2% of children work in domestic services in Phnom Penh receive a salary and 73.8% do not receive any salary at all, since most of them are at the service of a relative. Usually a month (USD25) for a male- child, while the girls only earn about 50, 000 riel (USD12.5).

The International Labour Organization (ILO), on the program of Eliminating Child Labour in southeast and west Asia, has reported that 5% of male-children and 33% of girl-children work with a relative who runs a business outside home. 73.6% male-children and 57% of girl-children labour with relatives in their houses as domestic servants; while 21.4% of male-children and 10% of girl-children work at their grandparents’ home or with their close by relative.

Normally, children under these conditions rarely complain about their personal situation because they consider themselves of a very low status and feel that they only deserve to be servants of those who took them. Of course, these children believe that their masters have a higher social status.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has estimated that children between 15 and 18-year-old are easily considered objects of sexual pleasure to be used by the sons of the head of the family they are living with.

Mr.Pan Vanna, a high level official investigator of Licadho, explained that “when children work with families who have a high education, they usually have better conditions than those who work with non-educated families. He added that there are some rich and powerful families that have more violent attitudes than families who are not educated. Very often these laboring children are tortured and deprived of food. It is also common that the neighbors, even though having acknowledged what was going on, do not dare to tell the authorities or to any children’s rights Organization, because they are always afraid.

Domestic Violence is not a good example for children

“This horrible practice of violence against children is diminishing nowadays due to the higher awareness of our society about the domestic violence inside the family, and especially about the violence toward minors working as servants who are protected by the law”, Mr. Phidan expressed his preoccupation because, concerning other less violent actions, like insulting and cursing, there is not yet any form of punishment from part of the law.

FOTO: Lewis Hine

Vise fotografija na

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor/

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 566

“Kampot: An official of the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor of the International Labor Oorganization [ILO-IPEC] said on Tuesday, 24 June 2008, that his organization will continue to provide funds for a period of four more years to a civil society network against child labor in Cambodia.

“Mr. M. P. Joseph, a technical advisor to ILO-IPEC in Cambodia, announced this during an official ceremony of civil society organizations against child labor, meeting in the Phnom Pros Hotel in Kompong Cham. In this ceremony the provincial authorities, other departments and units, non-government organizations, and many monks participated.

“He said, ‘The ILO will try to provide more funds to civil society networks against child labor for a period of four more years, until 2012, to strengthen these networks.’

“He added, ‘Anti-child labor networks have been established in three provinces – Kompong Cham, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville - and by 2010, we want our networks to be established in all the twenty four provinces and towns in Cambodia.’

“Mr. M. P. Joseph continued, ‘Two years ago, we had an anti-child labor network only on the national level, which is not enough, as the Royal Government cannot do it all alone.’

“He mentioned, ‘Therefore we all have to join to eliminate all forms of child labor, especially the serious forms. At the same time, the participation from communities, parents, enterprises, factories, and mass media is necessaary. According to a national plan implemented since three years by the government as well as other authorities, there were great achievements. This shows that child labor will be eliminated by 80% in 2015 and will be totally eliminated in 2016.

“He went on to say that for the process to eliminate child labor in Kompong Cham, more than US$3,000 per year were spent. ILO-IPECH even wants to create anti-child labor networks at district level in Kompong Cham, in order to make it stronger in other circles and other provinces.

“The advisor asserted that his organization plans to offer training to members of networks of civil society organization so that they are able to create useful projects to ask for funds from other organizations; training will be offered in the next two years.” Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4626, 27.6.2008

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 27 June 2008

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1678, 27.6.2008

• On the First Day of the Election Campaign, Political Parties Marched Peacefully [26 June 2008]
• High Concentration of Arsenic Is Found in 15,802 Wells in Cambodia [according to Mr. Mao Saray, Director of the Department of Rural Water Supply of the Ministry of Rural Development - water can be drunk safely up to 50 microgram Arsenic, but the water of all the wells mentioned above have over 50 microgram per liter]

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.2, #186, 27.6.2008

• Families of [the twenty two] Victims of Last Year's Plane Crash [on 27 June 2007 in Kampot] Have Not Been Compensated by the Cambodian PMT Airline [but the company blamed them for requesting too much money]

Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #34, 27.6.2008

• [Sam Rainsy Party Parliamentarian] Mr. Son Chhay Asked the Ministry of Planning to Give Reasons [for not releasing the index of the rising inflation since May, after there had been a 30% inflation rate released for January 2008 to May 2008]
• There Are More than 63,000 Mines Victims [in Cambodia – according to the Cambodia program of the Halo Trust]
• Minority Tribespeople from Severn Villages Protest the Grabbing of Their Land by the Khov Chily Company - when the Provincial Governor [Lay Sokha] Distributed Presents to Them, They Rejected Them and Just Want Their Land Back [Mondolkiri]

Koh Santepheap, Vol.41, #6382, 27.6.2008

• The Khmer Civilization Foundation Will Bring Four Tonnes of Rice and Other Materials to Assist People Living at the Preah Vihear Temple [on 29 June 2008 – according to a statement of the director of the foundation Mr. Moeung Son on 26 June 2008]
• Demonstration in Seoul Held Again against Beef Imports from the United States [25-26 June 2008]

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3497, 27.6.2008

• Siem [Thailand] Should Address Its Internal Issues but Not Affect the Preah Vihear Temple Sovereignty of Cambodia

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4626, 27.6.2008

• ILO Continues to Provide Funds for the Period of Four Years to a Civil Society Network Against Child Labor in Cambodia
• About 100 Organizations and Education Institutions in Cambodia Sent a Motion to UNESCO [to support the joint statement between Cambodia and Thailand on 17 June 2008 and to express admiration for the work of UNESCO; while Thai opposition party president Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva sent a letter to UNESCO requesting to delay the listing of the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site]
• The King Finished an Official Visit to Vietnam [26 June 2008]
• Deputy Director of Build Bright University [Mr. Lam Chea]: Most Students Choose Skills That Are Not Their Favorite [depending on the labor market]
• Lawyer of [the former Thai Prime Minister] Thaksin Jailed [for six months] for Trying to Bribe the Court with Money [trying to leave a box with Baht 2 million in cash - approx US$60,000 – at the court “to distribute”]

Samleng Yuvachun Khmer, Vol.15, #3344, 27.6.2008

• Ten Political Parties [except for the Cambodian People’s Party] Promise to Adopt an International Standard Anti-Corruption Law if They Win the Election [responding to a questionnaire from the Anti-Corruption League of civil society organizations, in which there are nearly fifty national and international non-government organizations]

Have a look at the last editorial - it is almost frightening to see to which extent there are strong emotions, disregarding related legal documents.


Back to top

The picture featured at the homepage of the G8 summit website in Hokkaido, Japan on July 7-9, 2008 is truly disturbing. It shows the globe being carried by four children. The children were smiling all right and appear that they have no burden.

But, millions like them are not. They carry on their shoulders the brunt of child labor that involves over 2 million in the Philippines and 200 million worldwide.

Unfortunately, this global problem is not in the agenda of the world economic superpowers. The children used in the website were mere decorations to lull us into believing that the world’s rich nations look after their care.

It is sad to note that efforts by the Dutch Government to include child labor in the international agenda of the world’s most powerful nations have fallen on deaf ears.

So, in this summit, nothing will be discussed on the issue on child labor. This comes at a time when we are marking the World Day Against Child Labor here in Davao City on June 28, 2008.

Here are the grim statistics on the issue:

Global child labor – over 200 million boys and girls aged 5-14

70 percent or 132 million are in agriculture

Other worst forms of child labor – construction, mining, domestic service, commercial sex and illicit activities

Child trafficking – 1.2 million a year

Children in armed conflicts as child soldiers – 300,000

In the Philippines:

11 percent of children ages 5-14 are involved in economic activities (2.2 million in 2001)

65.4 % are in agriculture and commercial plantations

29.4 % in services; and

5.3 % in industrial services

Worst forms of child labor (in addition to agriculture, construction, mining, domestic service and commercial sex) also include pyrotechnic production and muroami fishing

Also increasing trend of children in armed conflict

Children should be in school and enjoy their childhood. They should not be exploited and forced into dangerous and hazardous work.

We condemn the use of child labor and child soldiers here and throughout the world.

We call on the Arroyo government and world leaders to address child labor not just as a social or economic issue. This is an issue of fundamental human and children’s rights!

6:22 a.m.

25 June 1938
The Wages and Hours (later Fair Labor Standards) Act is passed, banning child labor and setting the 40-hour work week. The Act went into effect in October 1940, and was upheld in the Supreme Court on 3 February 1941.

I will be posting as often as I can find info on the day's labor history. Hopefully, it will be informative.

This is the most advantageous option available.

The Provincial Board of Pangasinan is going the same way in collecting its P79 Million IRA differential.

What to do with P142 Million? Another reader has posted a comment. Please check the sidebar. He wants roads to be paved in his village.

6:03 a.m.

Update on Activities

Yesterday, I represented Mayor Rody Duterte at the opening of the new showroom of Canon Marketing (Philippines) at Bajada. The expanded sales and service center is proof of the imaging company's growth in this part of the country. An executive from the company flew in from Singapore to grace the occasion. In my brief remarks, I said the city government adheres too in Canon's philosophy - living and working together for the common good! Canon's Philippine CEO Ramon Arteficio was somewhat surprised to hear these words from me. I told him I read it in their website. Canon's Regional Head here is Nelson Perez. Visit them infront of the Davao City Water District.

Today, my office will host an orientation seminar on the Botika ng Barangay Project of the Department of Health. Last year, I partnered with DOH in helping 21 barangays set up their village pharmacies. The project does not only make affordable medicines available in communities but also help train BNB operators become entrepreneurs. DOH provides seed capital of P25,000 worth of medicines which the BNB must replenish with their sales. I am hoping another batch of beneficiary-barangays would be granted their BNB.

On Saturday, the National Coalition Against Child Labor in Commercial Agriculture will spearhead once again the marking of the World Day Against Child Labor in the city. I have been a permanent fixture in the activities of this coalition and so I was invited again to speak at its rally at the Almendras Gym. A march will precede the program from Rizal Park to the Gym.

7:26 a.m.

By Paula Osborn, NCL Public Policy Intern

Paula is a child labor public policy intern at the National Consumers League. She’s from Albuquerque, New Mexico and, this fall, will begin her senior at Johns Hopkins University, where she’s studying Psychological and Brain Sciences, with a minor in Spanish for the Professions and a pre-law concentration.

My mother always used to tell me to clean my plate at dinnertime because there were starving children in China who would love to have the food I had in front of me. Last week, I learned that mothers should also be telling their kids to go to appreciate being able to go to school every day because there are 72 million children all over the world who would love to be in their place.

Last week, child labor advocates honored World Day Against Child Labor with a panel discussion to address this year’s theme: Education – The Right Response to Child Labor. A dozen panelists elaborated on education being the key to poverty reduction, attaining social justice, and enhancing skills for productivity and economic growth. Panelists argued that ensuring basic education for all is the most direct and cost-effective way of eliminating child labor and, in turn, the elimination of child labor is a prerequisite for any country’s fast economic development.

An excerpt from “Rescuing Emmanuel,” a film by Len Morris, showed street children from Nairobi exclaiming their desire to go to school, a luxury they were not afforded. Millions of children living on the streets have the same dream. To learn more, visit the International Labour Organization.

A few months ago, I was looking for possible internships for the summer, when I came across the National Consumers League, which needed a Child Labor Policy Intern for its Child Labor Coalition for the summer. I was immediately intrigued; I am very interested in protecting human rights, especially children because they cannot help themselves. At Johns Hopkins, my focus is child labor in Latin America and the United States, especially focusing on child labor in agriculture.

In my first few weeks at NCL, I have been—and will continue to—going to many conferences, events, and panel discussions on child labor-related issues, which I will be relaying back to you through my blogs. Stay tuned!

The United Nations agreed the 8 MDGs in 2000, to be reached in 2015. Now, half-way to that deadline, there is progress, but not all regions in the world are doing equally well. However, even in the poorest region - sub-Saharan Africa - some progress has been made.

GOAL 1: ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY

One of the targets in this goal is to halve the number of people living on less than $1 a day:

There has been substantial progress on this target. Another, related target under this first goal is to halve the number of people suffering from hunger: 

On the sub-target of the number of children who are underweight, there has been progress but much more can be done.

See also these posts on the topic of poverty and famine.

GOAL 2: ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION

Target: By 2015, all children to be able to complete a course of primary schooling:

Good progress here, but these data on enrolment do not say anything about the quality of education or the regularity of attendance.

See also this post on literacy and this one on child labor.

GOAL 3: PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN

This goal is more vague and less easily measured. One target is the elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education no later than 2015. One way to measure this target is to count how many women have secure and paid employment in areas other than agriculture:

See also this post on gender discrimination.

GOAL 4: REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY

Target: Between 1990 and 2005, reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds:

Some progress again, but there are still more than 10 million children who die annually before their fifth birthday, mostly from preventable causes. And a long way away from the target.

See also this post on infant mortality. 

GOAL 5: IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH

Target: Reduce the maternal mortality rate by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015. Maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high across the developing world. In sub-Saharan Africa, a woman's risk of dying from complications during childbirth is 1 in 16, compared with 1 in 3,800 in the developed world. More than half a million women die during pregnancy or childbirth every year, and many millions suffer from inadequately treated complications.

See also this post on maternal mortality.

GOAL 6: COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES

Target: Have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/Aids:

The number of infections seems to be levelling off, but the number of people dying from aids isn't.

See also this post on aids.

GOAL 7: ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Also difficult to measure. One of the targets is to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without access to drinking water and basic sanitation:

GOAL 8: DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT

The total amount of international development aid is now more than $100 billion a year.

See also this post on development aid.

(sources: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6943975.stm)

You can start by learning more about child labor. I wrote an article for Humane Edge (the e-news for the Institute for Humane Education (IHE), the organization for whom I work) that includes resources for kids and adults about child labor. Caroline Nye at Matador recently wrote a post called 10 Shocking Facts About Global Slavery in 2008.

And, here are 10 tips for helping end child labor:

1. Educate yourself about the issues, and then share what you learn with friends, family, co-workers and others, and work together to increase your “voting” power.
2. Contact retail stores, manufacturers and importers and kindly ask them questions about the origins of their products. Let them know you want to buy products that don’t involve child labor, and give them suggestions for ethical products and services they can offer instead.
3. Buy fair trade and sweatshop-free products whenever possible. Buy used when you can’t. Or borrow, share, trade, make it yourself, etc. Look for certified fair trade labels such as Fair Trade Certified, the Fairtrade Mark, and the Rugmark label to ensure that you’re supporting positive practices that don’t involve child labor.
4. Grow your own food as much as possible. Buy from farmers markets (verify their labor practices first), Community Supported Agriculture and U-Pick farms.
5. Forgo that daily latte or expensive make-up or go out to eat a bit less and funnel that money toward supporting reputable groups that are helping free children from exploitive labor and helping them get a good education. Volunteer your time when you can.
6. Contact local, regional and national legislators and ask them to pass laws that ensure no products in your city/state/country are made with child labor, and encourage them to adopt “codes of conduct” which include concern for humane, sustainable, just practices.
7. Contact businesses that do business in countries that have child labor and encourage them to put pressure on government officials to take appropriate action and on businesses that use child labor to use sustainable, fair-trade practices.
8. If you’re a shareholder, use your voice to ensure that your companies support humane, sustainable, just practices that don’t include child labor.
9. Write letters to the heads of countries that permit any form of child slavery and ask them to strengthen and enforce their laws, and to increase educational opportunities for children and humane, sustainable business opportunities for adults.
10. Give presentations to schools, communities of faith, nonprofits and other groups to educate them about child labor issues and encourage positive action.

Kevin Bales, author of Disposable People and Ending Slavery, and director of Free the Slaves believes that we can put an end to slavery worldwide within 25 years. If everyone did a little something, imagine what we could accomplish.

~ Marsha

Entitled Operation Sea Arrrgh, this protest will focus on the abuses of the cult's Sea Org - the "elite" division within Scientology which essentially runs the cult. Members of the Sea Org sign billion year contracts and are often overworked (e.g., 80+ hour weeks), underpaid (e.g., $50/week or less), poorly nourished, and treated like morally-valueless machines. The Sea Org has employed children (e.g., Astra Woodcraft), who would work excrutiating hours, be deprived of education, and be misled (like the adults) into thinking that Scientology was the world's only hope and that there was a moral imperative of the highest order for them to make every sacrifice to perform their duties - as unreasonably demanding as they may be. Sea Orgers have also been physically imprisoned within the system, or threatened to be disconnected from their families and friends within Scientology if they do not continue to serve their Sea Org roles as demanded.

Everyone is strongly encouraged to take part in this, the fifth, major international protest against the cult since February. Protest at the Scientology centre nearest you.