Don’t Call Me.

So my mobile phone died last week, and I’ve been feeling a combination of things. Unconnected. And, liberated. Weird!

The conclusion is that I’ll have to buy a new phone, which seems like a silly idea knowing how little I’ve really used it recently. It really has become more of an ‘emergency-use-only’ type appendage anyway.

Having said all that; in the mean time on a Fair-Trade bent, have you ever thought about the ethics of your mobile phone?

Someone alerted me to the fact today, that there have been some recent issues in the news of child-labour-exploitation in regards to production of a certain chemical that is used in mobile phone production.

Now, ever since I’ve had my eyes open to Ethical Trade (clothes, coffee, chocolate etc.) I’ve known that at nearly every level of every manufacturing process of every product I buy, or use, people are affected. It may be oppressively, it may be positively – but my actions have an effect. (See also, The Story of Stuff)

Until now, it hasn’t even been in my mind that my phone is part of this chain.

So, now I’m thinking that it might not be such a bad thing that my phone is dead… even though Nokia seems to come out OK in the comparisons (as you’ll see below, OK is relative). Maybe I’ll see how long I can go before it becomes ridiculous to not have one.

(Anyway.. for anyone in the Training College community who is reading this.. call my extension or come and find me – I love visitors! SMS’s flying through the building have always seemed a little silly to me!)

Some facts:

My Nokia Phone comes with this unethical baggage (and more..);

• Lead poisoning in Thailand
• Unsustainable mining of Coltan
• Operations in 11 oppressive regimes
• Workers’ Rights abuse criticisms
• Workers’ Rights abuses at Chinese supplier factories
• Worst ECRA (Ethical Consumer Research Association) rating for supply chain policy
• Operations in 4 tax havens
• Operations in questionable Social Economic Zones, India.

Don’t even get me started on the other brands. I’ll let you see for yourself. Ethiscore.org – Mobile Phones

AMUC 2009 – Advertising Flyer

Seductive Sweet

Chocolate leaves a bitter taste
September 18, 2008

It is enjoyed by millions of connoisseurs around the world, but in recent years chocolate has started to leave an unpleasant aftertaste.

Canadian author Carol Off, whose book alerted readers to the ethical quagmire of chocolate consumption when it was released two years ago, is currently in Australia to talk up the topic.

Her book, Bitter Chocolate, lifted the lid on the use of child slavery in the cocoa plantations of West Africa.

The link between slavery and chocolate is as old as history, Off said.

“There has always been a case where cocoa has been produced by people who didn’t have a lot for people who do,” she said.

“The Aztecs and the Mayans produced cocoa for the King of Montezuma and in Europe they produced slaves to harvest cocoa beans for the chocolate fanatics of Europe.”

Things haven’t changed, she says.

“We have chocolate bars today that seem to be cheap and affordable even to a child … but the truth of the matter is we can only afford this chocolate because people who are picking the beans and cultivating it are children in West Africa,” she said.

“A lot of children voluntarily go (to the plantations) because there’s nothing for them in countries like Mali.

“Their crops are failing and nothing is growing in that part of the world, So a lot of the kids are sent off by their parents to get some money.

“But child traffickers see the vulnerability of these kids, there’s nobody watching over them and they round them up and take them over the border into the Ivory Coast and make money from them.”

It is difficult to help these children, Off says, because much of the Ivory Coast, which produces most of the world’s cocoa supply, is torn by civil war.

The government uses profits from the cocoa trade to fund the war, Off says.

“The complicity here is with them and the big chocolate companies.”

“There are only a handful of multinationals that control the industry and basically they are able to operate with impunity in Africa and Ivory Coast because everybody that has power over the situation is getting what they want.”

Fair trade systems were having a small impact, Off said, but would never provide a full solution.

“They pay a premium to the farmer, the chocolates are more expensive and the profits go back to the farmers.

“Where I went in those situations, the kids are going to school, there was health care, clean water and all these things were paid for by fair trade premiums – but there’s so few of them.

“It represents not even one per cent of all the cocoa being produced, so the vast majority is under this other system.”

The CEO of The Confectionery Manufacturers of Australasia (CMA), Trish Hyde, said the CMA was a part of a global initiative to eliminate child slavery and forced labour in the industry.

She said the CMA and other chocolate companies from around the world were working with the governments of the Ivory Coast and Ghana to help eliminate child slavery and forced labour.

“The important thing is from our perspective is the collaboration with government and NGOs (Non-Government Organisations) on the ground, with industry programs … that are actually making changes in the communities.”

The CMA says that in July this year it also helped implement a reporting system that would certify all labour on West African cocoa farms.
AAP

This story was found at: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/09/17/1221330918327.html

I’ll Fight Day / Advertising #2

“The need to rediscover that God is just and sends the Spirit to do his work of justice through God’s people is urgent now. Such an undertaking requires Christianity’s best thoughts, imagination and energy to be worked out in the world.” – Ash Barker (Preface to “Following Fire – How the Spirit Leads Us To Fight Injustice” ed. Cheryl Catford)

Click here for a larger version that you can print and distribute!

13 September 2008 / I’ll Fight Day

Church Marketing Sucks

How does this quote make you feel?

“Drinking fair trade coffee is a great starting point. But our commitment to justice must extend beyond sipping the right coffee. Sometimes in the west we tend to find ways to do what we’re already doing (i.e., drinking coffee or shopping) in a slightly more equitable way and call it charity when it can simply be a way to assuage our conscience without inconvenience.” - Drew Dyck, 04/18/2008 on Make That Coffee Fair Trade

If it sparks ideas/thoughts in your mind, comment about them, or read further:

Check out the four-part JUST Ideas Series. Starting with; http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2008/04/just_ideas_buyi.html

Freedom Day!

Wow! What a weekend!

Saturday 19th April was Freedom Day in the city of Perth!
The Salvos and other freedom fighters (world vision, ywam, and a myriad of others..) were out in full strength to walk for freedom in the city.

We blew up balloons, we banged drums, we raised banners and we walked in strength in an effort to allow people to see and hear the call to freedom, justice, mercy, love and the stopping of traffik.

And, we made Stop The Traffik / Salvation Army T-Shirts and looked fantastic while we were wearing them! The logo to the right on the front and a MASSIVE Red Shield on the back!!

During the walk, and the afternoon session in the City we gave out nearly 800 flyers with information about Trafficking, and an invite to a free* screening of The Jammed in Northbridge.

Many conversations were had, many children were excited by the FREE magazine! (KidZone’s galore!) and MANY of the people we gave flyers to during the day, came to watch the movie – and not just because we were offering food** (although that did seem to draw the crowd!)

An estimation of more than 80 people flooded an auxiliary room at the Perth Fortress Corps to watch The Jammed. More than half of those in attendance came through the flyers we gave out, or because of the young enthusiasts just outside the Corps bringing people in!

The movie is incredibly graphic and confronting, but there was opportunity for prayer, support and comfort after the movie, and there is much hope that people did not feel helpless, but through the info from the talk prior to the movie, and the resources available, feel strong to move forward in the fight for freedom.

In the lead up to the event and on the day, we made important connections with organisations and individuals in Perth who are already working for a traffik free world. In particular, a young enthusiastic representative from YWAM walked with us, stayed all afternoon in the city making incredible connections with passers-by and invited 5 of her friends to the movie.

There are some links here, to show you what these groups are up to;
Lost in Traffik (YWAM Perth)
Don’t Trade Lives (World Vision – STIR, Perth)

Thanks for listening to my recap. There will be more news soon about JUSTSalvosWA’s ideas/events and more.

Grace.

*The screening was technically free, but we encouraged a Gold Coin donation on entry, and raised a total of $275.80 for The Salvation Army’s Counter-Traffiking project in India.

**The free food on offer was Fair Trade, and Organic – and for some even gluten and dairy free!! Thanks Fair-Go Trading!

Freedom Day 2008

I just had a highly productive meeting hashing out some details for WA’s Freedom Day on April 19.

I went in feeling unmotivated and discouraged, I came out feeling excited and empowered! Praise Jesus!

Behind a loud-blowing brass band, we’ll be marching through Northbridge to the Murray St mall, in an effort to raise awareness about Traffiking and Exploitation. We’ll be hanging out in the mall for the afternoon to chat with people, hand out some Kidzones and invite people to come to the screening of “The Jammed” at 6.30pm. 

The Jammed is an Australian film, that has one three Australian Film Industry Awards – Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Music. In recent news:

The Australian Catholic Film Office (ACFO) has awarded its 2007 Film of the Year to Dee McLachlan’s The Jammed. Director of the ACFO and jury chair, Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard said 2007 was one of the strongest years in many for Australian films.”The Jammed, The Home Song Stories and Romulus, My Father were among the best,” Fr Leonard said. “The jury felt that The Jammed was a singularly courageous piece of cinema. Even though the extremely violent world this film portrays means many people would not want to see it, that does not allow us to ignore the sex trade in women and children occurring in our nation,” he said.

The movie traces the story of three women brought to Australia under false pretences for sexual exploitation. The Jammed reveals not only the horror of modern human trafficking and slavery but also peels back the complex moral layers involved for everyone, including governments. Fr Leonard said it would be hard to think of a social issue which the whole Church is presently speaking with such clarity. “Pope Benedict’s statement on human trafficking for sex, his message to mark World Day of Migrants and Refugees, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants have strenuously called for all Catholics, Christians and people of good will to do everything they can to counter the causes and the evil results of human trafficking.” “The Jammed plays the role of raising our consciousness on this issue.” This uncompromising and confronting film illuminates a dark, tragic side of Australian society and thus makes a significant contribution to increasing people’s awareness of an under-recognised but important issue of faith and justice.”

Here is a preview:

 

A poster summarising the day’s events will be out shortly. Watch this space. 

Do you want to get a person?

A friend of mine sent me a link to this article today: It talks about a new book that Benjamin Skinner has written A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery.

Read this: Article

There are lots of books about now, talking about similar things. It certainly seems like people want to make sure that we don’t forget that the slave trade hasn’t actually been abolished.

I watched a video recently which is along similar lines. This one especially has a huge emphasis on the fact that WE can end slavery. There ARE things that we can do to bring about its end.

Watch this: Slavery in the New Global Economy

Speaking of things we can do; FREEDOM Day is coming up in WA. We’re screening “The Jammed”. If you haven’t seen it, or even if you have, get along and bring all of your friends. It’s on the 19th of April (NB: New Date) in the Evening at Perth Fortress Corps of The Salvation Army. There will be fairly traded tea and coffee served and some nibblies provided by a great organic food company.

Go here: The Jammed Website

p.s. read James Thompson’s blog.

one+two+three+four+five+six

So a few things:

1. Jesus is amazing. And He told me some things tonight that made me cry but in a good way. If I seek Him, He will be found by me, if I seek Him with all my heart. Praise the Lord. He loves us. Oh, How he loves us.

2. We are the light of the world. Read: YOU are the light of the world. And your light CANNOT be hidden. Not, SHOULD not, CAN NOT be hidden. The Darkness has no choice but to run. So STOP putting the basket over your head! (I’m yelling this to myself really loadly)

3. Come down to JESUS CULTURE tomorrow at 9.30am to do some City Invading, or if you have no money but wanna get in on the Holy Spirit dance party action, come down at 5.30pm. 171 Rooks Rd, VERMONT (Just off Canterbury Rd – Victoria that is..)

4. The WA Police don’t like our ideas about Freedom Day, which means we’re going to have re-think our strategy a little. God grant us some more super-amazing ideas. Or tell those Police men & women to be nice to us. Plus, isn’t there something in the old rules that says The Salvation Army is allowed to gather in public anywhere they want to?

5. Our WA Social Justice group were talking about how we might need a bit of a budget for things we wanna tackle this year, even if for printing costs and the like.. I thought a nice starting figure would be $5000, so I put it out there, everyone thought it was a crazy optomistic number. Found out today the DC is willing to honour the $5000 for the year. Bring it!! I should make crazy suggestions all the time. So, $5000 isn’t that much, but God – please multiply it, so that we can to do our bit so that Your Justice can be seen.

6. Jesus is LORD.