“Slavery probably crept into your life several times today, some before you even got to work.”
from Disposable People by Kevin Bales, Free The Slaves

We encounter slavery every day. Yet we are unaware of the extent to which slavery affects our lives. The clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet, even the produce you eat probably has some elements of slave labor in the creation of the product. The minerals used in the cell phones and computers I used to write this blog, have been mined by slave labor. The growing of tobacco and the weaving of carpets are usually done by children forced to work for hours with little or no pay, sometimes chained until their quotas are met. The knowledge of this can be overwhelming and disarming. In fact, for some it is too much to handle, so they just ignore the issue altogether. But, you and I can do something to prevent human trafficking.

Now, do not go throw out all of the items in your house that may have been made by forced or child labor. But move forward by being a socially responsible consumer. Having a fair trade label helps you, the consumer, know that the creation of the product did not exploit anyone. However, a product does not have to be certified fair trade to be ethically sourced. Many companies are becoming socially conscious and keeping their supply chains accountable to good labor practices and wages. Shop To Stop Slavery is compiling a shopping guide to make your search easier, but you can easily evaluate a company by visiting their website’s about us section.

Socially responsible consumers can prevent human trafficking; read Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economyand Shop to Stop Slavery today.