Hello from Free the Slaves

My name is Jacob Patton, and I am Director of Outreach and Technology for the non-profit organization Free the Slaves. Free the Slaves is the sister organization of the UK-based Anti-Slavery International, the oldest human rights organization in the world. Since its creation in 2000, Free the Slaves has labored to identify and eliminate modern slavery wherever it exists, and we believe that we can end slavery in our lifetimes.

Thank you, Mr. Fullerton, for inviting me and the rest of my Free the Slaves coworkers to contribute to your class's blog. The posts and comments up so far are fascinating, and I am excited to take part in your discussions. If you have any questions for me or for anyone else here at Free the Slaves, please just post them in the comments!

Over the next few days, I'll try to respond to your questions, and I'll also write some posts about the projects we're currently working on. In the mean-time, though, have a look at some recent activity from our Washington, D.C. headquarters. Last week our whole office was mobilized in a big year-end fundraising push, and we were all busy stuffing envelopes and calling our supporters. FYI, I'm the guy in the black pullover. (I had no idea I was so bald!)

Thanks again, Jacob Patton

Remember, this entry should reflect inquires your group has pertaining to the primary question: Can child slavery be stopped in the Ivory Coast cocoa plantations? Although this question should NOT be asked directly to any of the expert advisers during this project, inquiries that will allow your group to gather information for your proposal are allowed. Assure that it is reflected in your proposals bibliography in January.

Title your comment as Group 7A did to receive credit for this assignment.

Mr. Fullerton

Comments

[Nathaniel Shaffer]

Hello, this is Nathaniel Shaffer, representing group 7A. We have a few questions for you concerning the issue of slavery on cocao plantations. If you would care to respond, your insight would be appreciated in the greatest way.

1) In your opinion, do you believe that major chocolate manufacturers such as Hershey and Nestlè are truely making an effort to abolish slavery on cocao plantations?

2) At present, what seems to be the most likely solution to slavery?

3) From what you can tell, what nation is most impacted by modedrn-day slavery?

Your responses are greatly valued. Thatnks again!

[Brett Ryan- Group 8/A]

A) Through our view of boycotting (my group; 8/A), we have understood that boycotting would not have much of any affect on child slavery in general, not just the production of cocoa. The idea that we have is that if you were to boycott chocolate and other cocoa products so greatly (meaning that practically everyone denied using cocoa products), the slave owners would notice this decline in the market of cocoa and find another use for the slaves… maybe just substitute another money-making product for cocoa. So our question is how is Child Slavery, not just slavery for the use of the production of cocoa, affected by boycotting, if it is affected at all?

B) If you were to be able to actually just rescue the slaves from individual farms, after the farms were located, how would you actually go about doing this? Wouldn’t the process have to be very detailed and planned way before the actual rescue mission?

C) If you were to rescue the slaves and close down the slave farm, what would you do to the vacant farms and what would you do with the ex-slave owners/criminals? How would they be dealt with by police or soldiers? Would the vacant farms be kept as cocoa farms and just be used by actual workers, not slaves… or would you just abandon the farms?

Thank you very much for taking your time to read these questions that and hopefully responding. We can’t wait to hear from you and thanks again!

[Greg Parker]

Hi, this is Greg Parker representing 6C. On behalf of our group we would like to welcome you to Southern Lehigh Middle School. As a group we have generated a few questions that we would love to have answered to support us through our project.

1)What are you doing to stop slavery? Has it been working? Why or Why not?

2)What can the world, including us, be doing to help stop slavery?

3)Have you ever been to a plantation containing slaves? What were the conditions there?

4) Are any other countries helping to stop slavery? If so, what methods are being used?

Thank you for taking your time to read these questions. We would greatly appreciate your response and look forward to hearing from you.

[Jacob Patton]

Hi guys. Thanks for posting your comments. I'm sorry I didn't respond to these yesterday--I was at a conference on human trafficking all day long--but I'll try to respond today. (I'm still figuring out the TypePad system. I got a bunch of comments via email, but I don't see them here on the site....)

Thanks a lot. -JP

[Group 7C]

Hello this is group 7C. Below you will find some questions, that we thought necessary to ask in order to write a proposal to put a stop to slavery.

1. Does the Ivory Coast government make an effort to find the owners of the cocoa plantations. If so what are the actions they take?

2.How many children would you estimateare trafficed every month?

3. Is there a certian area of the country that the children are most commonly taken from?

4. If the plantation owners are caught, what will be done to them?

5. Why is this issue so concealed and kept in the dark from Americans, Canadians, and the British?(Major chocolate consumers)

6. What kind of reformation can/should be made to stop locatuers obviously from taking several children at a time?

We highly appreciate the time that you have taken to answer these questions. Thanks again. Group 7C

[Group C, Period 8]

Hello, we have some questions that we are hoping you might take a little time to answer. So, here they are:

1) What are some strategies you use to help solve the problems you are faced with?

2) What put the Ivory Coast's economy in that condition to make them result to slavery?

3) Would boycotting be effective, or would it only make it worse? Would the need for slaves increase because of loss of money?

4) What are some ways that people our age can help or influence the situation?

5) Are children in the countries where child trafficking and slavery occurs aware and educated about the slavery occurring around them?

6) What is being done to stop child trafficking? ( Is anything being done to increase the security on the borders, or getting more officers to patrol them? )

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to a response if it is convenient for you.

[Mr Fullerton]

Mr. Patton,

You are kind in answering individual comments, although you need only to reply to group comments. A few students at first were confused. If you could, would you please reply using the blog, allowing others to see the dialog unfold.

[Travis Benner]

Hello this is Travis Representing group 3B.

1. Why cant you just go to the Ivory Coast and free the slaves? Why cant you just tell the farmer that what he is doing is wrong and just take the slaves to a safe place?

2. What are you doing now to help the slaves? Do you send them food or do you get to talk to them? What makes you able to say that you are helping the slaves unless you are freeing them or making their lives easier?

3. How long has your organization been helping the slaves? When did you guys first start doing this? Do you beleive that you have made a difference in the slaves life and in the slave community?

[Ben Snyder]

Katie J, Curtis C, Sammy J, Tommy G, Sonja' T, Ron S, Ben S. Group 3A

1. What steps do you have to take to abolished slavery and slave trafficking in the Ivory Coast and countries neighboring it?

2. How long do you think it will take to decrease slavery and who will be the “arms and legs” of the operation?

3. Do you provide the slaves with necessities after you release them? How will they survive and/or find their families? Who will do this?

Thank you Free The Slaves and Mr. Patton for your participance in our research. We hope to get a lot of our information from you and use your non-profit organization as a resourse. -3A

[Ben Snyder 3A]

Katie J, Curtis C, Sammy J,Tommy G, Sonja' T, Ron S, Ben S... -A3

1. What steps do you have to take to abolished slavery and slave trafficking in the Ivory Coast and countries neighboring it?

2. How long do you think it will take to decrease slavery and who will be the “arms and legs” of the operation?

3. Do you provide the slaves with necessities after you release them? How will they survive and/or find their families? Who will do this?

Thank you Mr. Patton for your posts and help in our project. You are a great resource. -Group 3A

[Ben Snyder]

Woops! Double post... hehe :-)

[Ted Kerr]

This is for my group: Ted Kerr, Kevin Pierson, Ryan Elovski, Jeff Mindler.

We have some questions we would like to ask you:

1. What do you think our government can do to stop us from buying the slavers' chocolate?

2. Apparently, the government is Ivory Coast isn't doing its job and is not freeing all of the slaves of in Ivory Coast. What can our government do to help the government of Ivory Coast?

3. Do you think military may need to be involved for this problem to be solved? Is violence necessary or worth it to solve this problem?

Thank you for considering us and our school.

[Ted Kerr]

This is for my group: Ted Kerr, Kevin Pierson, Ryan Elovski, Jeff Mindler.

We have some questions we would like to ask you:

1. What do you think our government can do to stop us from buying the slavers' chocolate?

2. Apparently, the government is Ivory Coast isn't doing its job and is not freeing all of the slaves of in Ivory Coast. What can our government do to help the government of Ivory Coast?

3. Do you think military may need to be involved for this problem to be solved? Is violence necessary or worth it to solve this problem?

Thank you for considering us and our school.

[Ted Kerr]

I have no clue why it posted it twice.

sorry!

[The group 6B]

Dear Mr. Patton it would be very kind of you to respond to these questions.

1)What happens to the slaves after they are freed from the cocoa farms?

2)What will happen to the econmy if slavery is eliminated? Will it make prices go through the roof or will prices very slightly increase?

3)How long does it take for you guys to find out where the slaves are and how to save them?

[Group 7-B]

Hello, we are group 7-B: Shannon, Chelsea, Emily, Ryan, Sam, John, Nicole and Brooke. We have some questions that we would like your opinion on. We would be very grateful if you could respond.

1. What have you done so far, that you think had a real impact on slavery?

2. We have read that many slaves are snuck across the borders, and we were wondering what your opinion is on making the borders stronger and if it would have an impact or not?

3. Why did you pick to help slaves, out of all the different problems in the world?

4. What is the biggest thing you have learned in this process of trying to stop slavery?

5. Do you think slavery will ever come to an end? If so when?

Thank you for taking the time to read our questions and we are looking forward to your reply.

[8B]

I am speaking on behalf of group 8B. We are here to ask you a few questions about what we can do to abolish slavery. So if you could take a few minutes to briefly look at our questions and answer then, we would greatly appreciate it.

A)We know there are a lot of problems preventing abolishment of slavery, but what are the major ones?

B)What do non-profit organizations do to work toward abolishing major problems?

C)What happens to slave owners who are caught? What charges are held against them?

D)What motivates people to have slaves?

Thank you for taking our questions into consideration. We look forward to the day when slavery is abolished.

Thank you,
Group 8B

[Jacob Patton]

Hey guys, here are my answers to the first two sets of questions. I apologize for taking so long to respond, but keep the questions coming. I'll catch up, but I'll try to be briefer in my responses....

### Nathaniel Shaffer

**In your opinion, do you believe that major chocolate manufacturers such as Hershey and Nestlè are truely making an effort to abolish slavery on cocao plantations?**

Major chocolate manufacturers made a significant effort to eliminate slavery on cocoa plantations when in 2001 they signed the Cocoa Protocol, which states as its explicit goal the elimination of cocoa-based slavery by 2005. That said, there are thousands of small cocoa farms throughout the Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, and it is understandably difficult to discover and eliminate slavery on every farm. Free the Slaves is still confident that the cocoa companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations such as ours can work together to eliminate slavery throughout Western Africa.

**At present, what seems to be the most likely solution to slavery?**

Education is probably our strongest weapon against slavery. In areas where slavery is prevalent, education of potential victims about the problem might prevent them from falling prey to this crime. Also, as we educate people in the United States and elsewhere about the problem of slavery, we can all work together in the modern anti-slavery movement to combat slavery where it exists.

**From what you can tell, what nation is most impacted by modedrn-day slavery?**

The sad fact is that real, modern slavery exists in almost every nation on earth. Free the Slaves does a lot of work with victims of slavery in Northern India, where because of the large population living in terrible poverty slavery is very rampant.

### Brett Ryan

**So our question is how is Child Slavery, not just slavery for the use of the production of cocoa, affected by boycotting, if it is affected at all?**

Free the Slaves doesn't support boycotting as a method to end slavery because it is often the victims of slavery--whom we want to protect--who suffer from the boycotts. If we boycott chocolate, for example, cocoa growers will likely continue to use slaves to grow other crops. This is why we choose to work with people directly affected by slavery--the slaveholders and the slaves--to eliminate the problem where it occurs.

**If you were to be able to actually just rescue the slaves from individual farms, after the farms were located, how would you actually go about doing this? Wouldn’t the process have to be very detailed and planned way before the actual rescue mission?**

You know, I'm not sure how rescue missions are planned and carried out. I will ask our partners about this and post back here.

**If you were to rescue the slaves and close down the slave farm, what would you do to the vacant farms and what would you do with the ex-slave owners/criminals? How would they be dealt with by police or soldiers? Would the vacant farms be kept as cocoa farms and just be used by actual workers, not slaves… or would you just abandon the farms?**

We're not trying to eliminate cocoa production, just the worst forms of child labor and slavery that exist on these farms. We would consider it a success if the farms paid their workers fair wages and gave them safe working conditions.

[Group 4A]

Hello Mr. Patton.

Our group has just one or two questions to ask you.

1. What is being done in the Ivory Coast to help reduce the level of child slaves?

2. How many child slaves have been rescued from slave plantations in the Ivory coast?

[Group C Period 3]

Dear Mr. Bull,

We would like to acquire the answers/your opinion to the following questions:

1. What is, in your expert opinion, the solution to child slavery in the Ivory Coast?

2. How would you suggest we go about starting to solve this problem?

3. What do you think the biggest weakness in the Ivory Coast that’s causing this violation of Human rights?

4. Who are the biggest chocolate manufacturers who are ignoring the factor of child slavery on the cocoa plantations?

5. We thing that there are loopholes in the Ivory Coast’s constitution, that is allowing space for this kind of behavior. What is your opinion on this topic?

We thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Concerned 8th grade students from SLMS

[Kyle Niemkiewicz]

Hi my name is Kyle.
sIs cocao bean farmed more by slaves than free workers? What is the most common kind of slavery?

[Jacob Patton]

Hi guys,

I've had to refer some of your questions to our researchers, especially those regarding the on-the-ground work in Cote d'Ivoire. My organization, Free the Slaves, doesn't have partners in the Cote d'Ivoire. Security risks in the country are a concern, and we have also made the decision to focus our work in areas needing the most help and where we can do our work most quickly.

Travis, your question about how we are helping slaves really struck a chord with me. Our organization really believes in helping slaves by freeing them, first, but that a major component of our work is making sure that the freedom is sustainable and lasting. That's why we work with local grassroots organizations that help educate and house former slaves so that they can return to their villages with the ability to work and provide for themselves. Oftentimes these former slaves are some of the strongest anti-slavery activists in the region!

Group 6B asked an interesting question about what would happen to prices if slavery were abolished. "Will it make prices go through the roof or will prices very slightly increase?" they asked. No amount of price-savings justifies slavery, but we estimate the contribution to the world's economy by slavery to be quite low--the comparison that comes to mind is that the US spends more on blue jeans each year than the economic contribution of slave labor.

Similarly, the cost of freeing slaves is relatively low. It costs our partners in India a total of about $35 to free and care for a family of former slaves. $35! To put that in perspective worldwide, here is a quote from an upcoming book being written by Free the Slaves' president, Kevin Bales:

The cost of freedom is important because governments run on money. Knowing what it will cost to end slavery in a country makes it possible to build an effective strategy for eradication. The good news is that the balance of costs and benefits for ending slavery makes it a great investment. Let’s assume that the $35 figure for liberation and a new life works for slaves all over the world, not just in India. What would that mean in terms of the price of ending all slavery? If there are 27 million slaves, our best estimate, then ending slavery on the planet earth would cost $945 million. That’s a lot of money, or is it? Compare that to the price of the new system of roads and tunnels that the city of Boston, Massachusetts recently completed, a project known as the “Big Dig”. The best estimates are that these streets and tunnels cost $10.8 billion, more than ten times the price tag of freedom. In fact, in the “Big Dig”, the cost of construction mistakes, errors, and overruns is more than $1 billion. I’m not trying to give Boston a hard time, just to draw some comparisons that make sense. The citizens of Boston are going to pay for the “Big Dig” through the taxes and tolls they pay. Imagine the citizens of single city deciding to fund ridding the world of slavery. It’s amazing to think that, financially, it’s possible. To look at it another way, there are about 281 million people in the United States, if they all took a share the price of ending world slavery would be $3.37 per person. Freedom is not just affordable, it’s a bargain.

Group 7B asked why we chose to work with slavery when there are so many other compelling issues in the world. I was asked this same question recently by someone visiting our office, so I've had some time to think about it. There are lots of people who need help. People suffer desperate hunger, inadequate shelter, severe diseases and other health problems--why work with slavery? It is important for us to address all of these issues, but I chose slavery because some of it's victims don't even know what freedom is--they cannot even imagine it. The hungry person knows she is hungry, the sick feels the illness, but there are people whose parents have been slaves and who, themselves, have been enslaved their entire lives--they have no knowledge of what freedom even is, and that makes slavery the most horrible problem, for me.

Several of you have also asked about how you can help end slavery. Free the Slaves is just now working on some new ways to empower community members and individuals to fight slavery--when I next get a chance, I'll make a new post with some of these ideas!

[Alicia Molnar]

Mr. Fullerton- I am with group 3B just to let you know. So yes, I did post already.

-Alicia Molnar

[Anthony DiSanto]

Mr. Fullerton,
is it ok if we ask questions individually?
-anthony

[Anthony DiSanto]

Mr. Fullerton,
is it ok if we ask questions individually?
-anthony