It is the time of year when we run around preparing for the celebrations to commemorate the birth of Christ. I love this time of year – the shopping, carols and yummy yummy food! Christmas has got to be my most favourite time of year! :)
As we go about doing our Christmas preparation, whether it being the actual physical aspect of it or the spiritual aspect of it, I do urge you to take the time to think of the millions around the world who do not have the complete freedom to partake in Christmas like we do. It is this time of year that traffickers would rope in more individuals to produce more products or to ensure that demand for labour and sexual services are met.
We can go about preventing this by supporting fair trade products. This is especially so for items like chocolate, coffee, tea and sugar. One way to know that you are purchasing fair trade products is by looking out for this logo:
The other way is to buy organic as most organic products are fair trade. I would think that by now the word ‘organic’ is synonymous to ‘expensive’. And thus many of you would probably think I am crazy in encouraging you to buy something more expensive during the festive season when our individual expenses would be going up. Well, allow me to show you another perspective. I’ve been purchasing organic tea for my own consumption and the price difference ranges from $1-2. Yes, this $1-2 adds up for us at the end. But look at it this way, this extra $1-2 would mean enabling someone to provide enough for their family so as to allow their children to attend school. This is instead of putting them in a situation where they would be in a poverty state that would make them susceptible to the deception of traffickers, who make false promises of a ‘better’ life for their children if they would follow them to another country.
This extra $1-2 would also mean supporting fair trade products and shifting the market situation. I am no economics student, but I know that if more people start to support organic and fair trade products, companies who aren’t fair trade certified would start to look into that direction. When that happens, the demand for slave labour would decrease and thus making the human trafficking industry less lucrative. With no demand there would be lesser need of a supply, which would result in less people being trafficked because this business is no longer profitable for the human traffickers.
What is the extra $1-2 if it means enabling a family to support themselves financially and being part of crushing the human trafficking industry?
Yes, it is a long process but every $1-2 counts. If all of us start purchasing fair trade and organic products, our $1-2 would add up and the figure would rise into the millions. Wouldn’t your Christmas be more meaningful if you knew that the money spent on that gift or food item is providing someone with a decent wage and helping close the gap of poverty?
For the Christians out there, Christ came down to earth and died for out freedom. Wouldn’t our Christmas be so much more meaningful if we knew that our purchases are going towards ensuring that a brother or sister in Christ is being free from poverty and slavery?
Please support fair trade this Christmas. Thank you.
