Jun
11
2009
Disposable People: Brazil, Part 5
Melissa Books & Resources, Trafficking News & Information 0
More on Brazil from Disposable People. What Needs to Happen for Brazil “The slavery in the charcoal camps … is just one of the many, many kinds of bondage in the country. Slaves cut down the Amazon rain forests and harvest sugar cane. They mine gold and precious stones or work as prostitutes. The rubber industry relies on slavery, as does cattle and timber.” “The link that must be forged is between government and business. Purely political or economic attempts to end slavery in the developing world rarely work. … If North American and European governments are going to makeRead more
Jun
10
2009
Disposable People: Brazil, Part 4
Melissa Books & Resources, Trafficking News & Information 0
More on Brazil from Disposable People. Economics of Charcoal in Brazil A small batteria can create and haul about $17,000 worth of charcoal in a month. The start-up costs and costs to feed and house workers are low. At this rate the batteria could afford to pay its workers a minimal wage and still turn a profit of 100%. So why don’t they? It’s important to remember that gatos are simply employees of the real slaveholders. Kept on the edge of poverty and under pressure to make a profit, they are one step away from being slaves themselves. Some gatosRead more
Jun
09
2009
Disposable People: Brazil, Part 3
Melissa Books & Resources, Trafficking News & Information 0
More on Brazil from Disposable People. Life in a Brazilian Batteria The camps are called batterias because they center on a battery of charcoal-making ovens (usually 20–100 ovens and 8–40 workers). “The heat, smoke, and desolation of the batteria make it seem like a little bit of hell brought to the forest.” Charcoal ovens are dome-shaped about 7 feet high and 10 feet wide, with a 4-foot doorway on the side. The ovens must be pack precisely, be sealed properly, and burn at a specific temperature to make the charcoal. Workers pack the ovens with wood from the decimated forest;Read more
Jun
08
2009
Disposable People: Brazil, Part 2
Melissa Books & Resources, Trafficking News & Information 0
More on Brazil from Disposable People. Charcoal and Modern Slavery in Brazil Modern slavery in Brazil began with a corrupt government scheme in the 1970s. Its origins and exact means are convoluted and somewhat unknown. Essentially, Brazil gave multinational companies rock-bottom prices for huge tracts of forest. If the companies (such as Nestle and Volkswagen) cleared the land, planted Eucalyptus trees, and then fed those tree to the government’s yet-to-be-built paper mill, the corporations could deduct the cost of clearing and planting the land from their taxes. However, the government never came through: the paper mill was never built, soRead more
Jun
07
2009
Disposable People: Brazil, Part 1
Melissa Books & Resources, Trafficking News & Information 0
Here’s more from Disposable People by Kevin Bales. This section was about Brazil. I’m going to post it in several sections over the next few days. At the end of part four there are a specific things to pray for about human trafficking in Brazil. The rise of modern slavery in Brazil has coincided with the destruction of the rainforest. Just like a natural disaster can cause destruction and disease in a city, “environmental destruction and economic disaster can cause an existing society to collapse—and the disease of slavery can grow up in the wreckage.” As ecosystem are uprooted peopleRead more
Jun
06
2009
No Easy Answers
Melissa Trafficking News & Information 0
It would seem that human trafficking is a fairly cut and dry issues. Every government has laws against it. Most people, at least in our society, agree that slavery is wrong. This article about trafficking concerns in Northern Kentucky brings up some of the issues that make human trafficking a complicated issue.
Jun
04
2009
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Jun
04
2009
Hope and Cupcakes
Melissa Survivor Stories, Trafficking News & Information 0
Sometimes we get so bogged down in the bad news. Our motivation gets sapped and we become paralyzed, but our inaction affects the lives of enslaved people aroung the world. Although the good news is sparse, it’s there if you seek it out. So here are some positives stories I’ve seen lately. Let them invigorate and inspire you. Here’s the story of a rescued woman named Kunthy from IJM’s website. She was drugged, violated, and trafficked at age 14. She was rescued during an IJM raid. Here’s the best part: “In aftercare, Kunthy also discovered that she had something toRead more