Action against Human Trafficking and Slavery
Humanitarian Aide and Human Crisis News
Stop Human Trafficking with Stop The Traffik.Org.
A fellow Jedi from the Jedi Sanctuary, Jedi SlabTzu Del Fuego, found Stop The Traffic.Org whilst we were looking into the problem of misplaced people from the civil war in the Cote D'Ivoire (people had been drafted into the opposing forces sometimes from neighbouring countries), and this African country's problems with enforced labour (basically slavery) in their cocoa industry, which is the biggest producer of cocoa in the world.
If You could sign Stop The Traffic's declaration at the page below you would be adding your weight to the campaign to abolish the conditions of child slavery and misplaced people in the Cote D'Ivoire and even world wide. Please read their site to see the scope of the problem world wide, and about the growing support for this worthy cause.
Please Sign Stop The Traffic's Declaration!
My analysis of the Cote D'Ivoire's problems led me to a study of the wider problems facing the whole of Africa, such as "water wars" and widespread desertification, which could lead to even more misplaced people, or even a potentially huge refugee problem sometime in the near future if nothing is done.
You will be glad to hear that there is hope for Africa in the form of NEPAD – The New Partnership for Africa's Development, which has been set up to deal with this problem and others by the African Union. The peoples of Africa need strong and incorruptible leaders to lead them to a brighter future.
NEPAD, the AU and the situation on the whole continent needs monitoring, but it is a good thing that the people and leaders of Africa have recognised the problems facing them, and are willing to do something about them. Time will tell.
I received the following good news from Stop The Traffic.Org on the 1st August 2008.
This month, one member of the Chocolate Industry took a landmark decision that will result in a 20% increase in fair-trade - Traffik Free - chocolate worldwide. Royal Verkade, a Dutch household name and subsidiary of United Biscuits, announced that they will be using 100% Fair Trade cocoa and sugar in their products from the autumn onwards. This is the first A-list chocolate producer worldwide to make the transition to Fair Trade production on a large scale and STOP THE TRAFFIK congratulates Royal Verkade for taking this decision. Though many players were involved, a major turning point occurred during STOP THE TRAFFIK Netherlands and local NGO Fairfood’s ‘naming and shaming’ campaign, linking Verkade with the worst forms of child labour in Ivory Coast. "Within a day we had a phone call from Fair Trade", states Antonie Fountain of STOP THE TRAFFIK Holland, "saying that Verkade had just called them to talk about the possibility of Fair Trade sourcing for their cocoa”.
May the Force be with You
Jedi Richard Strange
Copyright © 2007 Richard Strange unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved.
