Technology tainted with slavery

Imagine a day in your life without your cell phone, your computer, your laptop or even your favorite DVD player. I cannot! It's a cruel yet true irony that in efforts to make high tech information age products more environmental friendly, we have actually boosted incentives for violence and worst forms of exploitation. Everyone's (almost) aware of the human rights abuses in gold and diamond mines in Africa but when it comes to our cool looking cell phones, handy lap tops, DVD players or video games – we don't get the message. Why? - Haven't they become such an indispensable part of our life?

The disturbing issue here is that of coltan mining in Congo. Coltan, or columbite-tantalite, is a highly radioactive ore valued for its ability to convert to the transition metal tantalum. Companies use tantalum to make a variety of electronic devices, including laptops, DVD players and cell phones along with others.

The civil war in Congo has resulted in the loss of thousands of people's lives and turned the country's coltan mines into a deadly battlefield. The huge demand for coltan shows the picture of business & exploitation of the world's most thoroughly ruined country by the global high-tech economies. Experts say that even though coltan mining has disastrous social and environmental consequences, people in the Congo have calculated that the only thing worse than mining coltan would be not mining it. People there don't see any alternative for themselves against slavery and exploitation.

Congo's first national elections since 1965 have taken place, but true peace and democracy remain vague goals. The population continues to be caught in a deadly vortex fueled by weapons transfers, infrastructure breakdown, ineffective leadership, and insecurity.

There are groups advocating for the issue around the world and forcing the high tech companies to investigate their supply chain. There are also other groups advocating for boycotting these slave made goods. But boycotting cell phones and laptops is not as easy as boycotting slave made clothes or chocolate. Even I cannot think of throwing away my cell phone or laptop but I sure want to do something about this. The issue here is bigger. There are groups encouraging recycling of cell phones. With word spreading, the market for recycling cells may increase, and begin to affect the new phone market. We as technology users need to push the companies that make our cell phones, computer chips and other devices to make sure that the coltan in these products is not stained with the blood of innocent Congolese people.

In this so-called 'free' world, the situation in Congo is about slavery and exploitation of the Congolese, with the prospects of massive wealth only for the rich, powerful and the exploiters. Coltan is the lifeblood of modern day communications – and to fight it is a challenge – are we ready?

Walking through my mind, I am amazed to find, memories of each passing season, which we remember for some reason. Having experienced the fall and winter, we are just a couple of weeks away from experiencing the beautiful spring in DC!

During fall, the leaves were of so many different shades and one could just stare at them in awe for hours, and now is the cold continuing with showers of snow once in a while. Winter will soon end, spring will be here and it would just be the right time to enjoy every minute of the bright, beautiful sun.

Just like the seasons, our moods go up and down and small little things can bring a smile on a dull gloomy day. This Valentine’s was my first after marriage and I was quite upset about not being with my husband. Back home in the evening from office – I saw a packet delivered for me. I opened it and found my ‘smile’ for the day! It was a cute little stuff toy - a dog with a flower in hand and a box of chocolates with a little note sent by my husband. I couldn’t have been happier.

On work front, I had the privilege to represent Free the Slaves in the Shareholders Resolutions and Social Advocacy meeting organized by DC BAR Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section and Corporation, Finance an Securities Law Section and hear some really interesting speakers on the subject.

Shareholder resolutions have become a potent and effective, but controversial tool for public interest organizations to advance environmental, social and human rights issues through the use of corporate governance process and attendant media attention. Some recent campaigns have addressed climate change, animal testing, recycling and human rights.

I learnt about the Social Investments’ firms, which specialize exclusively in socially responsible investing. The firms manage funds for individual and institutional investors who wish to integrate social and environmental standards into their investment decisions and analyze corporate holdings against social and environmental criteria’s. I also got to know about filing proxies and how shareholders could vote their proxies to support the program goals. For example, they can vote for resolutions urging companies to become environmentally responsible or to end certain exploitative practices.

Paul Shapiro from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) spoke about the advocacy efforts for humane treatment of animals in agribusinesses. He referred to the egg industry as a huge problem, wherein the hens are confined in some most outrageous conditions. He spoke about HSUS advocating strongly for ‘cage free’ eggs and in this context have been educating shareholders about the important role they can play. He spoke about shareholders resolution and citing a few examples said that while on one hand Wall- Mart is challenging their resolution and not being receptive, Safeway (one of the leading grocery chains) after a couple of meetings have finally introduced new policies representing important progress on basic animal welfare issues and is sure to positively affect many thousands of animals. He said that Safeway's move also sends a strong message to the agribusiness industry that it must rapidly move away from the worst factory farming abuses, such as intensive confinement systems and the conventional poultry slaughter method. Safeway has establish a purchasing preference for cage-free eggs, which is intended to favor producers who are converting away from battery-cage confinement systems. He also mentioned that Safeway has decided to give purchasing preference to poultry slaughterers that use Controlled Atmosphere Stunning, which causes significantly less suffering than the conventional poultry slaughter method.

During the weekend, I met Gargi’s friends Dolly & Nazmul, a very fun – loving couple and we stayed over at their place on Saturday night. Dolly made some excellent food and I was amazed with her pickle making skills...absolutely delicious!

As seasons come and go…memories are locked in our minds…and we remember the gone seasons for a reason!

Cold & Cloudy!

Today is another winter day. The sky is cloudy and the sun would not look down on the people.
The clouds play tricky…they slowly ascend blocking the rays of the sun… leaving emptiness all around. I don’t want to go another day with clouds in my way…please let the sun shine through!

Lately, wierd thoughts about ‘life’ have been hitting my mind. I keep telling myself philosphical stuff like - we all travel on this long road called life, which is kind of bumpy and sometimes tiring, and the end is a secret hidden by a blanket of fog. But no matter what - one has to go on and on... (Is it the weather or may be I am just missing my husband too much!)

Anyway, on another note - few weeks’ back, I went for an event organized by the Global Health Council on ‘Trafficking of Children & Adolescents as a Public Health Issue’. The meeting focused on the fact that sex trafficking of children & adolescents is a worldwide problem with enormous health consequences including HIV and STDs, reproductive health issues, gastro-intestinal diseases and bodily injuries. These health challenges impact both individuals and wider community, yet there is little involvement of the public health community either in terms of data collection or service delivery.

The speakers for the event were distinguished people like Gary Cohen, who’s the Board Director of Perrigo Company, the US Fund for UNICEF, the Academic Alliance Foundation and a member of the private sector delegation to the Global Fund. He serves as an advocate, speaker and expert panelist in forums involving child health & HIV/AIDS. Other speakers for the day were Azra Kacapor Nurkic, who’s the Director for Children and Youth Programs at World Learning Headquarters in Washington DC, Jay Silverman, who’s a public health researcher-his work focuses on the improvement of practice in the prevention of violence against adolescent and adult women in the US and internationally and Brian Willis, Health Advisor for ECPAT USA, who also served in the Peace Corps in Paraguay.

Last weekend, Gargi and me got the opportunity to visit the ‘Kali Maa’ (Hindu Goddess) temple in Washington DC with an Indian couple. It was a sight to see so many Indians together and all women dressed up in ‘sarees’! After offering prayers, we had ‘prasad’ (food) at the temple and then got back home after a nice long drive.

The 'price' of a bride!

In the prosperous districts of Haryana and Punjab in India, where son preference has resulted in a twisted sex ratio, human trafficking shows a different trend. The girls/young women from economically weaker backgrounds in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal are being bought in groups for ‘forced marriages’. The legal status of such weddings, of course, remains questionable.

The girls/women blame their destiny and see no better a life for themselves. For an exchange of a small amount of money – a girl is married and brought to an alien land as the ‘bahu’ (daughter – in – law). They are forced to speak Haryanvi & Punjabi (local languages) even if they don’t understand a word of it; they are forced to become wheat eaters while they have grown up eating rice all their lives. This is the part of the country where livestock costs more than women.

In a bid to buy girls for marriage, families make frequent trips from all over Haryana & parts of Punjab to hunt for girls in Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and even Maharashtra. The cultural impact of these forced marriages is already developing. The women’s movements are kept under complete surveillance and they aren’t allowed to visit their home. I remember hearing a testimony of one such ‘bride’ who said, “At least, we have food to eat here”. Because the girls don’t understand the language, they are just supposed to say ‘yes’ to whatever the men demand.

Direct fallout of low female population and more ‘single’ males has been a rise in sexual violence against women. Even though the sex ratio is alarming in terms of falling number of girls, having a ‘boy’ is still the first choice and the villagers resort to sex determination tests illegally - If the doctor writes in red it’s a girl, if blue, it’s a boy.

Even more interestingly, local politicians in this region have been promising brides in return for votes!
……….

Gargi offered me to join her for an all-vegetarian potluck party organized by her colleague and friend Leah last Saturday. This truly was an amazing party for me. For the first time in DC I saw a huge table laid up with mouth watering vegetarian dishes – ‘ALL VEG’. It was fun!