Background: As a student in Mexico, I had a class on international politics. The case studies we did were enlightening, and extremely sad as well. Many high end companies in the U.S. use foreign labor --meaning slave and child labor -- because it is so much cheaper. Nike and Hershey's for starters. Obviously, foreign and international policies dictate a lot of what happens, how much we can actually change the situation, as well as ways to implement a better infrastructure for living, education and labor for workers. Awareness is the first step to change.
I receive a daily e-mail from the UN Wire on international news. I usually read the headlines and delete it. Today, both of my kids are asleep and I got to dig in a little deeper. I realize why I don't read them all everyday anymore. It takes me hours. And a box of tissues later, I resurface to my reality of luxury.
Did you know Iran has a nuclear program which for years has been suspected of being used to make nuclear weapons? and that one of their scientists was just murdered? and that the U.S. and Japan are working to get them to close down their nuclear program... and threatening to stop buying oil from them? and that Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz where lots of oil is shipped? How if they do most European countries could have an even worse economic decline if they can't find a good source for replacement oil. And then surely the cost of oil per barrel will rise as well. How will that effect the U.S. economy?
And then...
Today I read about the Ivory Coast, how they use slave/child labor to harvest cocoa beans. The children work for nothing more than a meager meal. Granted, the country's infrastructure must change before situations in the fields can change. If all children were freed and had no job, where would they go? what would they eat? There is no public education, no foster care, no social security.
Then I read a release by the Department of Labor on products and countries use the most slave labor.
- Bolivia: nuts, cattle, corn, and sugar
- Burma: bamboo, beans, bricks, jade, nuts, rice rubber, rubies, sesame, shrimp, sugarcane, sunflowers, and teak
- China: artificial flowers, bricks, Christmas decorations, coal, cotton, electronics, garments, footwear, fireworks, nails, and toys
- India: bricks, carpets, cottonseed, textiles, and garments
- Nepal: bricks, carpets, textiles, and stones
- North Korea: bricks, cement, coal, gold, iron, and textiles
- Pakistan: bricks, carpet, coal, cotton, sugar, and wheat
So maybe I can avoid some of these products or check where they were made. But even more, can I go abroad and teach for awhile, get a degree and implement better water systems in foreign countries, donate more at church to Humanitarian Aid or Perpetual Education Fund (worthwhile: yes easy-way-out: yes). Be a better citizen, stay out of debt,
become self-sufficient,
learn about the world and its politics. It is our responsibility as citizens to know what is going on and to get involved.
What can I do in my life to make somebody else's life a little better? How can I
really help improve the lives of all of these people around the world?
Just needed to put down my thoughts today...
P.S. Did you know that your iPad is made in China? And it is estimated that if it were made in the U.S. it would cost you more than $1100?
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