Can Fair Trade end human trafficking?
In response, we’re looking at what a few Fair Trade companies are doing to keep slave labor out of their supply chains. I first heard about human trafficking and child labor in the handmade carpet and rug industry through a young boy named Iqbal Masih. My high school teacher told me the story of a boy sold into slavery at the age of four to work in the carpet industry. Six years after being sold, Iqbal was able to escape and became the figurehead for the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, advocating for an end to this enslavement and helping thousands of Pakistani children gain their freedom. While seen as a hero by those fighting for freedom, he posed a threat to those holding the shackles. By the age of 12, Iqbal was shot dead by the so-called “carpet mafia”, who undoubtedly could no longer stand seeing the inhumane conditions of their industry exposed. News of Iqbal’s death fueled the fire behind the struggle against bonded labor. Ehsan Ullah Khan of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front ca
Related Questions
- Is it fair to say that, as a human, you enjoy the chaos and beauty of wilderness and nature, but not enough to prefer it over right angles, sterilized order, pathological security and rigorous predictability?
- New Tactics in Human Rights: How will human trafficking ever be stopped?
- Can Fair Trade end human trafficking?
