Hearts Should Be Free - Scribbleprints Stationery (2/29)

I've been holding giveaways to raise awareness of modern slavery.   This giveaway is for 20 pages of the stationery shown above.

 When I first learned about slavery, I didn't realize that it happened here.  Right here in America there have been men beaten and locked in a truck trailer and forced to pick tomotoes, women forced to braid hair in a salon and not allowed to leave, others forced into prostitution against their will.  And that's just the short list.  Modern slavery, known as human trafficking, happens in places like Canada and the United Kindom, not just third world countries.

One thing we can do is be aware...know the signs.   Here are just a few signs that someone might be a victim of human trafficking.

• Shows signs of abuse (bruises, injuries, untreated medical problems)
• Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous/paranoid
• Is not in control of his/her own identification documents 
• Does not control of his/her own income--has no financial records or bank account.
• Lives in the same place he/she works
• Workplace or living place has heavy security (bars on windows, barbed wire, isolated location, etc)
• Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes

Read More Signs Here - Or Here

If you suspect that someone is is a victim of human trafficking, you can call  the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline below:

1-888-3737-888

Or to e-mail visit this page!

 

HOW TO ENTER
To enter add the phone number above to your contact list or write it down and put it in your wallet, then fill out the rafflecopter form below.  Sometimes the form take a minute or two to load.  There's extra entries too!


STATIONERY ON SALE - PROCEEDS TO CHARITY
I am going to be selling some of the stationery above and donate the proceeds to an organization which fights modern slavery or helps human trafficking victims.  I havn't yet decided on the organization or the price, and need to check on how much shipping would be.  If you would be interested in being notified when I get this posted up for sale, please e-mail me at ecarian at yahoo com or leave a comment with you e-mail below.



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Hearts Should Be Free - 3G Cell Phone Case Giveaway

I won the 3G iPhone cell phone case from CafePress pictures above in a giveaway last year. Never used it and thought it would be a great item to give away for the Hearts Should Be Free event.

Hearts Should Be Free is a giveaway event to spread awareness of modern slavery.  Many people don't realize that slavery still exists today, yet there are as many as 27 million people enslaved today around the world.

Today I want to talk about how slave labor contributes to many of the products we find on our store shelves.  Sadly, forced labor contributes to many of the products we use and much of the produce that we buy. In recent years slave labor has been used for making clothes, for mining diamonds, mining gold and other minerals (including those used in our electronics),  farming coffee beans and cocoa, harvesting tomatoes (right here in America), and many, many other areas of farming and manufacturing.

I want to be clear...it isn't that companies go out and seek out slave labor.  But poor monitoring of a company's supply chain can allow forced labor to"sneak in" to the supply chain unnoticed. However, when large companies put in mechanisms to monitor and improve the working conditions throughout their supply chain, it can have a huge impact.

Since this giveaway is for an iPhone case (and I'll assume if you're entering you have an iphone), I'd like to share a couple related aps you can download to your phone.

The Fair Trade App
When you buy Fair Trade you know that you are buying a product that provides a living wage to workers all down the supply chain and that monitors it's working conditions.   This also helps guarantee that these products are not made with the work of slaves.  The Fair Trade App helps you find Fair Trade items near you, and allows you to help build their database by adding fair trade items you find for sale in your area. 


The Free2Work App
This app allows you to look up products to see how they rate on to trafficking and other labor abuses. Though it only has a few hundred products listed so far, and though the bar code scanning is a little buggy, I still like this app as it allows you to browse companies by category to see their rating, and so is a great way to find some of the companies who are already doing things to help rid their supply chain of slavery. 

I'd also encourage you to visit Chain Store Reaction, a website where you can write letters to companies urging them to take a stand against slavery, and can see their responses.

I'd also like to point you towards a couple articles related to Apple and it's labor policies....

Should Apple Make a Conflict Free Minerals iPhone
Slavery is rampant in the Congo, where revenue from the mines funds the militias which are a war there.  This Forbes article questions whether abstaining from buying conflict minerals is the best course of action, and highlights the complexities of this issue well.

Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory
While this program by This American Life (through NPR) is NOT about slavery, I felt it was relavant and wanted to include it.  This three act look at labor policies in China is EXCELLENT and, yes, even entertaining.  This program is in three section, or "acts, " which can be listened to together or separately.  While it doesn't deal with slavery directly (all the workers in the factory Mr. Daisey visited were payed a salary and could quit any time they wanted) it does highlight the importance of workplace monitoring, and the third act contains insightful commentary on workers rights and labor conditions around the world.

Now, on to the giveaway...

HOW TO ENTER
Just fill out the entry form below.  Giveaway ends February 29.  Open worldwide, 18+ only.  Form may take a minute or two to load.


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