A 9 year old boy in Pakistan, one of many child labors who often suffer pain and permanent injuries, such as ongoing finger, back and neck strain. (Photo: ILO)
In the United States we have just returned to our busy work weeks following a long Labor Day weekend, were most of us thought little about forced or child labor, but about the ending of summer and the return of children to school. My Labor Day was spent on the soccer field practicing with my Parks and Rec team and it when I was doing drills a teammate noticed my ball said it was “Child Labor Free” and quickly questioned me. I of course went direct into my mini-speech on child labor and fair trade and of course how I could not consciously purchase any other ball than one that was certified and how most of the balls we were playing with were probably stitched by the hands of children and forced labor…his face kind of sunk. Then of course, like happens all too often, many of the guys on the team took the topic of modern slavery into that of a bit of a joke, which I find is usually code for “I have no idea what to do this problem is too overwhelming and I really just don’t want to think about it.” However I should state a good few were well aware of the issue of child labor in the manufacturing process of soccer balls, though seemed to know little beyond that point or know how to take a stand. Nonetheless even I have found it difficult to convince those around me to purchase fair trade certified only balls and while I have mentioned it to schools and leagues before it seems a long way off until each player is fully educated and on board.
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) some 215 million children are in situations of child labor exploitation. Soccer balls have been produced in India and Pakistan for numerous international companies via the hands of child laborers. As this year was a FIFA World Cup year it seemed all to fitting and necessary to address the issues of child labor in the industry. Just in time for the opening match of the World Cup The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) released the report, Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers in Pakistan, India, China, and Thailand. The report showed evidence that child labor was used by workers producing for three different factories in Pakistan, despite a increased efforts to fight child labor in the production of soccer balls. In response to the findings in the report, “the ILRF is calling on the soccer ball industry to take immediate action to address the issues of extremely low wages and proliferation of temporary workers in order to improve conditions for the workers who produce the balls at the center of the 2010 World Cup”. Additionally June 12, 2010 was World Day Against Child Labor, which fittingly was themed as “Go for the goal… End Child Labor”.
The ILRF has also recently released a new user friendly tool, www.Free2Work.org, that allows consumers to see how soccer ball companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma compare on labor rights. Companies were graded on a scale of A through F based on a set of questions developed by ILRF and the Not For Sale Campaign.
Check out the recently added grades including:
If you would like to take a stance on child labor you can also send an email to FIFA encourage them to lead by example and ensure all of the balls they use are certified slave and child labor free.
The soccer ball I use was produced by Talon Sports, (for fair trade specific info follow the links to About Trade) and supplied by Fair Trade Sports, in Pakistani. Pakistan is responsible for more than 70% of US soccer ball imports, and for almost 100 years the industry has been known for using child labor. However thanks to the efforts of many child labor activists a great deal has been achieved in the last decade. Talon also supplies Fair Trade balls for rugby, volleyballs, footballs, and basketballs. Talon will begin production on baseballs, softballs and soft-core training baseballs in the fall. While the slavery free sports balls are newer to the market, Talon is not the only company to produce fair trade sports equipment, see the links following the article for more information.
Links:
An inhuman price
RESPECT – Fair Trade Sports
Made By Survivors
The Emancipation Network (TEN)
Ten Thousand Villages
Global March Against Child Labor
Equita – Essentials for Ethical Living – Fair Trade
Global Conduct
Fair Trade Resource Network
Fair Deal Trading -UK
Fair Go Trading – Australia
Fair World Sports – Canada
Fair Trade UK
World Centric
Social Conscience
Etiko Sports -Australia and New Zealand
SCIC Fair Trade Project – Canada
Sweatshop Watch – Has a shopping guide
Make Trade Fair
Fairtrade Foundation
Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO)
Fair Trade Federation
Support Fair Trade
Fair Trade Resource Network
Fair Trade Federation
Global Exchange
IFAT – The international Fair Trade Association
Transfair USA
Co-op America
Two Hands World Shop
KIDS and FAIR TRADE – A Teacher’s and Parent’s Guide
