The Dark Side of a Sparkling Gem

Several miles away from Mount Kilimanjaro, about 2,000 children, particularly males, work below people’s feet, sometimes over 100 m underneath the ground. The miners search for one rock: tanzanite, which is found only in Merelani, Tanzania, Africa. They excavate the brown, rare stone then heat it until the gemstone becomes a violet-blue color. Nomadic Masai tribes reportedly found the stone in 1967. Today, however, tanzanite causes controversy over moral, environmental, and economical issues, such as poor working conditions, air pollution, and regulation policies.

Some miners spend days underground, eating and sleeping in the mines. Maski Lekindanyu, a 15-year-old boy, says, “Every time I go down into the mine, I put my life in the hands of the Lord.” Underground, the air and fumes suffocate the miners. They only have minutes to climb up a ladder before explosives blow. Miners face more problems than suffocating though. Most of the small, local mining companies supply their workers with inadequate working appliances, poor lighting and ventilation, and few safety tools. In addition, the weather brings trouble with flash floods. In 1998, the floods killed 71 people in one block, or section, alone.

Moreover, tanzanite’s popularity did not provide the get-rich-quick scheme that some Tanzanian miners hoped for. Workers go for days or even years without finding a single piece of Tanzanite. Geologists estimate that the supply of Tanzanite will last for up to 15 years; and with the clock ticking, many of the industry’s workers look to an uncertain future.

In addition, the United States purchases about 70% of the tanzanite, which can be found in popular stores, such as Tiffany and Co. and Zales. On the other hand though, Caribbean souvenir shops also sell an abundance of tanzanite but for lower costs. Thus, the price of the gem fluctuates wildly because exporters undervalue shipments—a package worth $100,000 could sell for $5,000. As one can see, the diminished payments result to lower wages for miners. Furthermore, plot owners claim eighty percent of the tanzanite chippings leaving the rest to their employees.

As a result, the Tanzanian government needs to regulate the tanzanite mining industry to make sure that the large and small businesses pay their workers fair wages and provide adequate equipment and safety tools, as well as making sure that the companies do not exploit children. By providing secure laws, check ups, funding, and alternative jobs, the government can decrease the number of accidents and deaths and supply its citizens with safer alternatives.

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Immigration's Strain on American Democracy

In a government, "by the people and for the people" and “the land of the free” how do we define the people? For many years the democratic ideals behind the United States constitution have kept an optimistic window open to those seeking a freer or more fruitful life. But, with the current laws in place and the increasing numbers of undocumented immigrates there has been an ever-growing strain on the preservation of civil liberties and the question of U.S citizenship. Regardless of political standpoint, undocumented immigrants are prevalent in today’s society and large majorities are without access to health care, education for their children and welfare. Currently in the United States, laws and state legislation in regards to undocumented workers are challenged by the basic premise of American democracy and the United States constitution.

In the year 2010, there was an estimated 11.2 illegal immigrants living in the United States . Of those 11.2 million people, an estimated 7 million were employed illegally in the United States. Undocumented immigrants risk entering the United States for a various reasons; to escape economic or political turmoil, seek employment, for a brighter future for their children and some involuntarily enter the United Sates as victims of human trafficking. Both supporters and critics of amnesty for undocumented immigrates agree; that, as long as businesses in the United States continue to hirer undocumented workers for higher salaries than in their home country, people will continue to enter the United States illegally.

One incentive for immigrants and their families to enter the United States illegally is the 14^th amendment that allows for any person born in the United States to be granted citizenship regardless of parental citizenship status. This amendment contradicts current efforts to prevent immigrants from entering the United States in the first place. This amendment is just one example of laws and state legislation regulating illegal immigration contradict American democracy.

Sources

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/01/AR2007110102668_2.html?

sid=ST2007110200129

http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2008020100&type=hitlist&num=3

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/03/14th-amendment-debate-gop-leaders-want-citizenship-clause rev/

Child Labor: Harmful but Necessary

There are 215 million children involved in child labor, and 115 million of these children are involved in hazardous work. Hazardous work is any work that can harm the health, safety, or morals of children. This includes but is not limited to, child soldiers, trafficked children, and those who work in unstable environments for very low wages. Hazardous child labor needs to come to an end and regulations need to be made concerning the jobs, health, and education of non hazardous child laborer.

All children performing hazardous work are at risk for lifelong disabilities. Since children have a faster metabolism then adults, they breathe in twice as much air. This means if children are working in gold mines where they are exposed to harmful chemicals such as mercury, then they are twice as likely to absorb these unhealthy toxins. If children are partaking in heavy lifting during growing stages, then they can develop deformities such as crippled feet, bent backs, or dislocated shoulders. Another huge problem with child labor is their mental stability. These children have lost their adolescent and moved straight into supporting their families. For the children, this can mean educational loss and loss of overall happiness. All of these issues are serious health concerns involved with hazardous child labor, and they need to be stopped by force of law.

Not all child labor is bad however, with regulations child labor can be a sufficient way for children to support their impoverished families. Child Labor is categorized into 3 categories, ages 13 and up can perform light work, ages 15 and up can perform ordinary work and ages 18 and up can perform hazardous work. If a child is below the age of 13, they should not be performing any work. The first regulation that needs to be made is education. A free, quality education needs to be provided and mandated for all children until the minimum age of work. Even after children have reached the minimum age, there should still be time restraints on how long a child is eligible to work. Also, the jobs and conditions of these jobs, need to have extreme regulations. If policies for child labor are instated, then hazardous child labor will vanish.

Child labor is sometimes a necessary source of income for impoverished families. If hazardous conditions are ended and regulations are made, then child labor should be a completely safe option for children who are in need.

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Taking the Tree's and the hope

For many, the destruction of our environment is an idea that we simply will not stand for. We think of the deaths of thriving ecosystems, the misplacement of animals living in areas being destroyed, and the irreversible consequences on our trees and plant life. However, when many consider the destruction of forests and nature, the idea that it increases enslavement never comes to mind. The fact is that in many locations, deforestation and the growth of slave labor are directly connected.

The enslavement as a result of deforestation is growing very rapidly in Brazil. Since April 2010, deforestation has increased from 103 km in March and April 2010 to 593 sq km (229 sq miles) in the same period of 2011. One clear case of this was in Mato Grosso del Sul, Brazil, where the destruction of land for economic purposes left many people without a safe place to live and a steady job to uphold. Kevin Bales, author of “Disposable People” chronicled the drastic increase of slave labor in Mato Grosso. He explained the repercussions of deforestation on these villages by saying “ As the native ecosystem and peoples are uprooted, displaced workers, even the urban unemployed, become vulnerable to enslavement” (Bales 122). In the case of Mato Grosso del Sul, slave labor was used to convert the excess wood from the trees being cut down into charcoal.

The enslavement process occurred as a manipulation of the inhabitants desperate for jobs. When the need came to get rid of the wood, recruiters known as “gatos” came into the towns looking for men to work creating charcoal. When the men agreed they were taken to camps far away from their homes and told they were indebted to the “gatos”, a former worker named Ronaldo recounts his experience by saying “ When we reached the camp we could see it was terrible: the conditions were not good enough for animals. Standing around the camp were men with guns”(Bales 127). From that moment on, the workers had to put in long grueling days in dangerous conditions.

Since it takes a short time to destroy these forests, the enslavements of these workers are not long term. However, the physical effects of deforestation as well as the traumatic psychological effects of their labor can cause true harm to their lives. Kevin Bales explains how in many cases, the laborers have no other options of making money, and are coerced into this form of slavery. It is put best when he writes “ In this case, the people who live in the forest and rely on it are usually the ones forced to destroy it. Tree by tree, the hands of slaves wrench the life out of their own land and prepare it for a new kind of exploitation”(Bales 122). This vicious act of harming the environment as well as its inhabitants must be stopped immediately. Without the proper guidance into how Brazil can create a stronger economy without deforestation or slave labor, the cycle will continue until there is no land left.

Bales, Kevin. Disposable People.Los Angeles California: University of California Press Ltd. 2000.Print.

Photo Credit: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/deforestation-2.jpg

An Alternative To Boycotts

Today, we as consumer are often unaware of where the things we buy come from, or how and by whom they are made. However consumers are not the only ones living in ignorance, many major conglomerates and companies are unaware of the origins of their products.  This means that some companies are unknowingly supporting, and profiting from slavery. To think that box of chocolates sitting on our kitchen table is a product of slave labor is sickening. It brings up the question of what we, as consumers can do. To many people the obvious answer is a boycott. A boycott as described by Andrew John and Jill Klein in their article The Boycott Puzzle: Consumer Motivations for Purchase Sacrifice as "Boycotts are usually conceptualized as instrumental-that is, as a tactic to influence the behavior of a firm (or other institution) by withholding purchase of their products. "

According to Kevin Bales, author of Ending Slavery : How We Free Today's Slaves. We may actually be hurting instead of helping our cause. Out of all the small farms that supply cocoa for the chocolate company, only a very small percentage are using slave labor. When consumers stop purchasing the head company's products all the little companies and farmers who do business with the larger one are hurt.  Kevin Bales says that"by mounting a boycott that destroys what little market they [farmers without slaves] do have, the result can be destitution and potentially enslavement." Even though boycotts can be successful, they can result in more people being hurt, than being helped. Kevin Bales says that in order to truly remove the presence of slaves from the products we buy we need to free the people currently enslaved and prosecute the people enslaving them.

Instead of focusing our energies on combating slavery through boycotts, we should focus on encouraging companies and other consumers to as Kevin Bales says "take responsibility for the product chain of the things we make, sell and buy". Companies can do this by working with human rights groups and finding ways to monitor the labor conditions of the workers who make all aspects of the product. This method of fighting slavery is a better than boycotting because it does not harm innocent farmers and companies, leaving them destitute and more vulnerable to enslavement themselves.

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"White Gold" Harvest

When the country of Uzbekistan was occupied by the Soviet Union, prior to 1991, two thirds of their cotton was harvested by way of machinery. Now the use of machines in the cotton harvest has dropped to 10%. Cotton, otherwise known as “white gold”, is now harvested by hand, many of who are children. Every year schools are shut down and the children are forced to work in the cotton fields. The schools are shut down in the fall and the schoolteachers and administrators send the children into the cotton fields. This process is organized and controlled by the central government. The students work in the fields every day for about two months until the harvest is brought in. The teachers are given quotas that each child must fulfill; often the quota is 50 kilograms of cotton a day, which is about 110 pounds. If a child falls under their quota the shortfall is carried over to the next day and they are threatened with expulsion and the dropping of their grade in school.

These children must live in makeshift dorms if the cotton farm is far away from their village; some barracks have no electricity, windows or doors. They work up to ten-hour shifts with one break for lunch and the water they drink is irrigation water. The children are charged for food and shelter so at the end of the day they see no payment for their hard work. It’s ironic because Uzbekistan has signed two conventions against child labor by the International Labor Organization and two conventions on forced labor also by the ILO. Although, the Uzbekistan government has refused to allow the International Labor Organization along with any other international observer access to the country to see what is going on in the fields. The country of Uzbekistan is denying any act of forced child labor. The government is signing conventions with the ILO on Minimum Age of Employment and on Prohibition and Immediate Action for Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor. It also approved the National Action Plan (NAP), which is directed to ban all forms of child labor and organize local bodies of power.

These conventions look good to the public eye but behind the scenes there are children being forced to work under harsh conditions. Uzbekistan is not abiding by the terms of the conventions the have signed. The country is turning a cheek to the problem and attempting to cover it up with plans for abolishing child labor in their country. There must be better laws put in place and real ways of regulating them to ensure that this child labor is put to an end.

photo credit: http://www.cottoncampaign.org/2011/04/07/who-will-monitor-forced-child-labor-in-uzbekistan-ilo-still-barred-by-uzbek-government/

Why Trust the Helpers?

UN peacekeepers, that are sent out to maintain peace and security, are affecting the rate in sex trafficking tremendously. Peacekeeping in the UN began after World War II when an organization decided it needed to step in and take care of international relationships. Today, the demand for peacekeepers is higher than it was ever before. Due to this high demand, peacekeepers include troops from different countries, selected whether they have experience or not. Troop members are responsible for following their home nation’s rules; therefore they tend to disregard the UN policies. This starts to cause problems when women and children are being sexually abused and sex trafficking is being increased wherever the UN peacekeepers are. In order to reduce sex trafficking, curfews must be set up for the peacekeepers, laws need to be enforced forbidding unauthorized communication with the residents, and more female peacekeepers must be selected.

In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, members involved in peacekeeping missions have been accused of committing acts of sexual exploitation to the citizens present. This behavior of sexual misconduct caused by peacekeeping missions still continues, even after a bulletin was issued, named ‘Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse’, which was implemented upon UN members following a previous incident involving sex trafficking in West Africa. Peacekeepers involved in these acts visit brothels and support sex trafficking, allowing it to take place by forging documents and helping out with the transport of women from place to place illegally. This sexual abuse and rape is most common where Blue Helmets are deployed. Children are being offered promises of education, money, and food in exchange of having sex with the UN troops. This happens so very often because the incidents are not being reported to officials, neither by the victims nor by the by standing UN troops who are free of committing these heinous acts. According to Sarah W. Spencer, author of Journal of Public and International Affairs, sexual exploitation continues to increase because of the lack of attainment, and not the lack of procedure.

Due to higher sex trafficking rates taking place where UN peacekeepers happen to be located, actions must be taken to stop the guilty peacekeepers and punish them. Raising awareness and speaking out against this abuse would contribute greatly to the issue. With curfews being in order, it will be ensured that none of the peacekeeping members are out doing their own thing. While unauthorized communication is forbidden between the troop members and residents, the residents are in a safer situation and they are less likely to be trafficked. Having more female peacekeepers will allow the women and children of certain areas to have someone to talk and relate to. Female peacekeepers also have a better chance of stopping future acts of sexual violence from occurring.

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Behind Closed Door

Many American have “helpers”, those that work for them: they clean the house, take care of the kids, and do the things that are normally looked upon as the “wives responsibilities”. Little does the majority of America know, but many of those workers have been brought into America illegally. The percentage of cases of forced labor, in the United States, has reached 27.2 percent. Adults and children are brought into the United States, by force or by being tricked, having been promised a better life here. They are then held captive, told their families lives are endangered, and many more terrible things will happen to them if they do not cooperate and do as they are told. It is when something goes missing or something goes wrong, that the owners call the police on their own employees, and the employees are then deported.

The flawed system lies in Border Control and the law enforcers that deport these innocent people. It’s difficult to know who has been trafficked and who hasn’t, but however, the victims being prosecuted shouldn’t be judged based off of biased opinions. There have been laws passed and acts issued stating zero tolerance policies for any type of government activity to employ anybody who has been trafficked into the United States. But what about those that have been forced or tricked into coming to the United States and working for free lancers, or simply working in someone’s house? Those are the victims that need the most help from our government and they aren’t receiving it in the best way possible. The sad but true reality is, the government is afraid to put human trafficking on the same level as a national security threat.

Like any given issue in America, there are corporations, such as the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center, which work towards fixing this problem. The HSTC has trained employees in legal fields, counseling fields, and many other areas that would help a forced labor victim. The victims of these crimes need to be helped in any way possible. They were tricked and forced into coming here; working, as a slave, isn’t something they should be punished for.

PhotoCredit: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/efi/lowres/efin267l.jpg

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With Liberty and Justice for All

As a young woman in American society, I would like to have a peace of mind about being on my own but I don’t. It seems like there are so many cases of sex trafficking and only the victims are being punished. I would like to know if I was trafficked into prostitution, then my captor will pay and I would not be charged of any crimes. My concern is that so many young men and women are thrown into jail for crimes they were forced to do and little to nothing is done to the traffickers who are forcing them. The laws should be changed to consider the men and women who are forced into prostitution.

There are some cases of prostitution where the convicted criminal is actually the victim of a crime. Some prostitutes are actually women and men who have been manipulated and kidnapped. When a pimp tries to recruit new prostitutes, they usually make empty promises about how they can help the unsuspecting victim with his or her problem. Once the victim is under the pimp’s control, the victim has no way of escaping. For example, in the case of United States vs. Corey Davis, victim number two was lured in with the promise of renting a cheap apartment then was later forced to become a prostitute.

All prostitutes are not in the business for his or her own benefit. Pimps usually threaten and beat their prostitutes to install fear into them. Often times, prostitutes have their loved ones lives as well as their own threaten. Pimps may use threats like “If you leave I will find you.” or “If you leave I will hurt your family.” to ensure their prostitutes would not disobey them. Both the men and women in prostitution are often thought of as “property” and have no rights to his or her own opinion. Prostitutes are not allowed to keep the money they make, are raped, and are beaten badly by their pimps. In the case of United States vs. Corey Davis, when a young women was caught drinking alcohol her pimp, Davis, took a box cutter and cut her from her head down to the middle of her back. Some pimps use these harsh tactics to teach their prostitutes a lesson they will never forget. According to Catharine A. MacKinnon’s book, “Women’s Lives, Men’s Laws“, a recent study of street prostitutes in Toronto found that about 90 percent wanted to leave but could not.

Chilling 911 Call: Sex Trade Victim Hides from Pimp: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

It is possible that anyone could possible say they were sex trafficked into prostitution just to get out of charges, but there are ways to weed them out by using the definition of slave . A slave is anyone who is held against their will, under the threat of violence, and forced to work with no pay. Every aspect of life for a prostitute is controlled by their pimp. From what they are allowed to wear, eat, do, say, and even when they can sleep. They are no longer in charge of themselves because they are now their pimp’s property. Until the government or state gets involved, these humans could possibly be treated as if they were replaceable.

According to the FBI in 2001, there were over 400,000 women and children being trafficked worldwide. This means that your mother, sister, cousin, or daughter could possibly be sex trafficked. Now how would you feel if they were kidnapped, raped, forced into prostitution, and then received criminal charges for it? You would feel like they were treated unjustly. The laws of prostitution should be changed to be fair and just for all.

"Turning a Blind Eye"

The justice system, a system that orders complete and civil obedience from the people at all times, but how can a system full of officials and policemen who have no moral compass call for our respect and obedience? In many countries today, police officers and visa distributors are involved in the black market practice of trafficking. One of the most shocking countries with a high level of slavery is Japan. Even though Japan is one of the most thriving countries in the world, the police and people pay no mind to the amount of trafficked girls. For more than 20 years the government has opened the country to human trafficking by giving them a special visa called the “entertainer visa”, supposedly given to singers and dancers.

Brazil, this country too has much slavery and fewer opportunities to actually battle this problem.Top anti-slavery officials in the capital concede that the number of slaves is around 50,000. Even though this number seems high Brazil is taking action freeing 4,789 slaves in 2003 and another 2,745, compared to Japans rescue of 6 slaves in 2003 and 24 in 2004. The question is what’s the difference? The election of Luiz Inacio da Silva, as president in 2002. Luiz had a background in organized labor and this made him a great candidate for battling this problem of trafficking. In October 2006 he stated, “This [slavery] system channeled wealth to a powerful elite and dug a social abyss that still marks the life of the nation.”

Awareness is a great step towards getting the public involved, but real consequences need to be laid down for these people in our government participating in the black market. I propose Zero-Tolerance Anti-Corruption laws be put in place to punish not exactly the officer who is participating but the highest ranking officer or official who is supposedly in charge of these people.

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