Fellow Americans,
Today, America thrives on the ideals and values of independence, humanity, and freedom. Despite the many historic occurrences of oppression and inequality within our nation, some of which continue to this day, I believe the many people who continue to fight against injustices and for the rights of others represent what a truly means to be an American. Regardless of the strides our society has made, however, some of the crimes of the past persist in secret and unknown, preventing awareness of the problem and a call to action:
Over 200 years have past since the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, and yet slavery, the peerless transgression of human rights, continues to eclipse the idealistic vision of a principled global …show more content…
Most are exploited for money. An estimated 50,000 talibé boys in Senegal are forced to beg in the streets for their masters; an estimated 1.8 million children around the world are forced into the child pornography industry; an estimated 2 million children in West Africa are forced into hazardous and demoralizing work on cocoa farms in the chocolate industry.
The covert and under-discussed nature of the modern slave trade makes it especially dangerous. When people are unaware of the dangers and ubiquity of human trafficking, they not only are more likely to purchase products produced by slave labor, but they themselves are more at-risk of trafficking. By discussing these topics more openly and clarifying the prevalence and danger of modern slavery, we can pursue a slave-free global economy and a better …show more content…
Many “fast-fashion” companies, such as H&M, Forever21, and Zara, produce cheap products designed only for short-term use and rapid replacement, resulting poor wages, poor working conditions, labor exploitation, and millions of garments dumped in landfills. Although most clothing supply workers are paid, they are often so poorly paid and their factories so poorly maintained that they are confined to dangerous and perpetually impoverished lives for themselves and their children. To prevent this cycle of worker abuse, we, the consumers of America, can choose to stop this cycle of “fast” fashion. There are hundreds of companies who choose to provide fair conditions and healthy wages to their workers, and Americans can choose to buy Fair Trade or used products to ensure their dollars do not support worker abuse, child labor, or modern slavery. Knowthechain.org, free2work.org, endslaverynow.org and other anti-slavery organizations offer slave-free product guides and information about company practices and ethics for consumers who want to end modern day
Today, America thrives on the ideals and values of independence, humanity, and freedom. Despite the many historic occurrences of oppression and inequality within our nation, some of which continue to this day, I believe the many people who continue to fight against injustices and for the rights of others represent what a truly means to be an American. Regardless of the strides our society has made, however, some of the crimes of the past persist in secret and unknown, preventing awareness of the problem and a call to action:
Over 200 years have past since the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, and yet slavery, the peerless transgression of human rights, continues to eclipse the idealistic vision of a principled global …show more content…
Most are exploited for money. An estimated 50,000 talibé boys in Senegal are forced to beg in the streets for their masters; an estimated 1.8 million children around the world are forced into the child pornography industry; an estimated 2 million children in West Africa are forced into hazardous and demoralizing work on cocoa farms in the chocolate industry.
The covert and under-discussed nature of the modern slave trade makes it especially dangerous. When people are unaware of the dangers and ubiquity of human trafficking, they not only are more likely to purchase products produced by slave labor, but they themselves are more at-risk of trafficking. By discussing these topics more openly and clarifying the prevalence and danger of modern slavery, we can pursue a slave-free global economy and a better …show more content…
Many “fast-fashion” companies, such as H&M, Forever21, and Zara, produce cheap products designed only for short-term use and rapid replacement, resulting poor wages, poor working conditions, labor exploitation, and millions of garments dumped in landfills. Although most clothing supply workers are paid, they are often so poorly paid and their factories so poorly maintained that they are confined to dangerous and perpetually impoverished lives for themselves and their children. To prevent this cycle of worker abuse, we, the consumers of America, can choose to stop this cycle of “fast” fashion. There are hundreds of companies who choose to provide fair conditions and healthy wages to their workers, and Americans can choose to buy Fair Trade or used products to ensure their dollars do not support worker abuse, child labor, or modern slavery. Knowthechain.org, free2work.org, endslaverynow.org and other anti-slavery organizations offer slave-free product guides and information about company practices and ethics for consumers who want to end modern day