Shopping without slaves

As we become more aware of the problem of modern slavery, one of the things Bella and I are doing is to educate ourselves about ethical buying patterns. There is ample evidence that consumers in Australia benefit from severe labour exploitation through the cheap goods we buy here.

The Global Slavery Index includes a summary of international trade channels that are most at risk of slave-like labour. For us in Australia, the highest risks (in terms of total economic value) are in:

• Laptops, computers and mobile phones imported from China and Malaysia

• Garments imported from China

• Fish imported from Thailand

BUT HOW CAN WE TELL? That's the tough part!

As poorly-informed consumers, how could we possibly know whether a particular laptop bought from Harvey Norman or a t-shirt from KMart have been produced by slave-labour?

There are a few online guides to help us, but they are not comprehensive.

1. Fairtrade does a wonderful job of certifying specific companies and goods as being ethically produced and distributed, which includes a requirement that people throughout the chain are treated fairly.

2. Baptist World Aid has published an Ethical Fashion Guide and has a mobile app that rates each brand in terms of their policies and practices regarding slavery. But as the name suggests, the scope is limited to clothing.

3. Good on You also has a mobile app.

4. The Modern Slavery Register tracks statements by companies about their stance on slavery.

5. Shop Ethical! regularly updates their Australia ethical consumer guide, along with an app, but their web site doesn’t make it very clear how much they take slavery into account in their rating system.

I hope some of that helps you. We'll let you know of any other useful resources as soon as we discover them ourselves.

— Matt.

(Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash)

"Art for the Sake of Joy"

Some of the amazing supporters of Turning Teardrops into Joy are curating an art exhibition in our space at Grant St, East Maitland. The official opening is this Friday (26 April) and the artwork will be on display (and on sale) until 8 May. Part of the proceeds will go towards our Freedom Keys Research Project.

Our thanks to Liz and the other local artists. Like Matt Freedman, these artists have understood that to stand against slavery you don’t have to perform some huge act of heroism — many small drops into a bucket of tears can build up to overflowing joy.

Come along to the opening party to chat, nibble, and to hear more about our anti-slavery project from the principle researcher, namely, me.

—Matt

Wondering how to buy Easter Eggs without supporting slavery?

You may have heard that chocolate is one of the products where extreme labour exploitation is rife. There has been good progress over the past decade in protecting workers in the supply chain from abuse that borders on slavery. But there is still a lot of work to be done.

When you are buying Easter Eggs this year, how can you tell if the chocolate has been ethically sourced? Stop The Traffik has a web site that might help you … https://traffikfreechocolate.com.au/find

—Matt.

(Photo by Laurentiu Iordache on Unsplash)

The Freedom Keys Research Project is now accepting donations

We have now finalised a partnership agreement with Global Development Group …

… which brings two huge advantages to our project:

• First, you can now donate money to the goal of ending slavery and claim the donation as a tax deduction.

• Second, GDG provides a governance framework that can assure you as a supporter that we are operating in line with good international development principles and clear financial accountability.

Click one of the buttons below to take the next step …

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More about Global Development Group

Turning Teardrops into Joy is a partner for Project J1041N The Freedom Keys Research Project with Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993), an Australian NGO approved by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Tax deductible receipts for gifts over $2 with a preference for this approved development project will be issued by Global Development Group for project J1041N. If funds raised exceed the requirement for this project, funds may be directed to another approved activity. Please note, no non-development (evangelistic, political or welfare) activities are part of, or funded by, GDG projects. For more information please visit www.gdg.org.au.

Brief update ...

Thanks for your interest in this anti-slavery project. In this commencement phase, we are trying to establish a good foundation financially and a solid personal support structure. We hope you will come along on the journey with us.

We have been forming a partnership with an international development agency who will manage our incoming donations. Within the next few weeks we hope to announce a way for our supporters to donate money to the project in a way that gives you tax deductibility.

With regard to the project itself, since the trip to Hong Kong in January I have continued to connect with other organisations working in this space. Our hope is that we will plant some seeds of new ideas throughout the network of anti-slavery organisations and then find a couple with whom we can work more closely.

If you haven't already, please add your email address in the Subscribe box on our web site so we can more easily sends you updates.

Thanks for your support.

Matt and Bella.

Reconciliation and restoration

Over the long weekend Bella and I attended a conference on reconciliation hosted by the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand. The Anabaptists, a small group within the Christian tradition, have always been known for their work in peace-making, non-violence and community-building. (See What is an Anabaptist Christian?)

The conference touched on many aspects of reconciliation, but two ideas stood out to me in relation to our anti-slavery project.

1. The idea of restorative justice. We will say a lot more about that over time because restoration seems to us to be one of the most significant "gaps" in current anti-slavery work.

2. A commentary by one of the conference speakers about something written about Jesus in the Bible.

   • Slavery affects all people and our anti-slavery work treats all as equal, with no judgement about people's religion. But you don't have to know Bella and I for too long before you understand that our underlying motivation comes from recognising that all people bear the image of God.

   • I believe with Paul that “It was in Jesus that the full nature of God chose to live, and through him God planned to reconcile in his own person, as it were, everything on earth and everything in Heaven by virtue of the sacrifice of the cross" (Colossians 1:19-20). The goal of Jesus - and supposedly of the Christian church! - is to reconcile, that is to set things right. In the Freedom Keys Research project we are following that mandate, looking for ways to set things right for all those affected by slavery, including the victims, the traffickers and slaveholders, and the consumers.

Matt Friedman asks "Where were you?"

Human trafficking is a global concern affecting millions of people. Many have horrific tales, whilst others may never get the chance to speak out. After encountering first-hand trafficked victims on the streets of Nepal as a public health officer, Matt Friedman dedicated the next 25 years to anti-trafficking activism and fundraising.

This TEDx talk from a few years ago is a great call to action. Matt Friedman points out that we need not so much a couple of "heroes" who will swoop in and fix everything, but a million people doing small acts that raise awareness about slavery and actively care for people beyond their immediate family.

I met Matt Friedman in Hong Kong recently. He has put a lot of his own life into ending slavery and calling other people into action. He notes the challenge of moving people from concern to action. If you are struck by his talk, I thoroughly recommend his short book Where were you?

If you’d like to move from concern to action, sign up to our mailing list at the bottom of this page and we can help you to take the next step.

Featured in the Maitland Mercury!

Now we are truly famous! Half a page in this week’s Maitland Mercury describing the Freedom Keys Research Project.

One of the valuable comments the writer included was the importance of a supportive community. We will be hosting some public meetings in East Maitland soon to raise awareness of modern slavery. So this project is a two-way street: we need a community to encourage and fund our work, but we will also be feeding back information as we go.

I imagine many people are concerned about the extent of slavery but are completely at sea with regard to what they can do about it. For instance, while it may be true that some brand of common products rely on slave labour, how do you tell which ones? Over time, as we figure that out for ourselves, we will be trying to pass on what we find.

This is a complex journey, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride.

What I found in Hong Kong

Hong Kong at night

The Freedom Keys Research Project is off and racing! Although we still have a long way to go to sort out funding, Bella and I have now committed ourselves to this investigation of how to increase the long term effectiveness of anti-slavery interventions.

Since I had an opportunity to be in Hong Kong last week, I stayed a couple of extra days to connect with some anti-slavery workers there.

According to the Global Slavery Index, there may be about 10,000 victims in Hong Kong -- a similar ballpark to Australia, though the population of Hong Kong is about a third of ours. Some of that number relates to domestic workers who come from the Philippines and Indonesia on two year visas. They come with hopes of making money for their families back home, but all too often pay so much to be in Hong Kong -- to their recruitment agent and to cover food and accommodation -- that they end up in debt that can never be repaid.

The dynamics of modern slavery are complex, making the task of drawing a boundary around it very tricky. These victims in Hong Kong and elsewhere don’t have chains around their ankles, and yet they are tricked and coerced into situations they would never have chosen for themselves and from which they cannot escape.

On a personal note, the people I met affirmed what our research project hopes to achieve, and I found that deeply encouraging.