You might not think you’re directly connected to rainforest destruction and slave labor. But you probably are, and a compelling report this week from Greenpeace connects the dots.

It’s called “Driving Destruction in the Amazon.” It highlights how steel used to make thousands of everyday products can often be tied to the clear-cutting of forests to make charcoal that fuels iron ore smelters.

It isn’t just an environmental problem; it’s a major human rights problem. That’s because many charcoal operations are run with slave labor.

The Greenpeace report builds on work already underway to confront charcoal slavery by Free the Slaves and our frontline partners in Brazil. You can see their award-winning work in the FTS documentary “Partners in Action.”

Brazil has one of the world’s most aggressive anti-slavery initiatives, including special SWAT squads to liberate slaves, a Dirty List that quarantines businesses convicted of slavery, and a National Pact signed by major companies who pledge to avoid slavery-tainted products and raw materials. This week’s Greenpeace report underscores why such aggressive action is needed.

Congress got tough on companies after the 2008 financial meltdown, enacting the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. It included a vital section to combat exploitation in Congo, called the “Conflict Minerals” provision. The law will require companies to disclose whether their products are made with minerals from the conflict zone.

At a House subcommittee hearing on Thursday, representatives will likely hear that it is hard for companies to comply with the Conflict Minerals law. You can help balance the debate. Call Congress to be sure they hear how hard life is for Congolese people.

Despite nearly a decade of official peace, the Congolese still endure extreme human rights abuses. One reason is that an insecure climate allows the army and rebel and militia groups to continue to benefit illegally from the country’s mineral wealth. Congolese people are enslaved in mines and surrounding areas, forced into labor, sex slavery, debt bondage and hazardous child labor. See our investigative report and video.

The Conflict Minerals law has engaged the American public and major U.S. companies in the fight for peace and against corruption in Congo. For the first time, we understand our connection to the devastation and how we can play a part in ending it. As consumers, we can push companies connected to those mines to root out slavery at the source of their supply chains, and apply pressure for peace. Some critics in the U.S. claim the law has had unintended economic consequences. But our Congolese human rights partners, who work every day in mining areas, support the law.

So what can you do?  Call members of the subcommittee listed below. For maximum effect, do it today or tomorrow morning.

Here’s what you can say:

I am calling because I understand that there will be a hearing on May 10th on conflict minerals regulations. I am deeply concerned about the conflict in eastern Congo and the role of the illegal minerals trade in fueling modern forms of slavery and other human rights abuses.

Please use your role as a member of the subcommittee to ask company representatives what they are doing to address slavery and the illegal trade in conflict minerals. Urge them to do more for peace in Congo by complying with regulations that will be issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Tell them that as consumers, we deserve to know where the minerals in our products are coming from.

Thank you in advance for taking steps to help break the link between the minerals trade in Congo and conflict, slavery and human rights abuse.

Members of the House Financial Services Committee’s International Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee:

Michele Bachmann, MN: (202) 225-2331

John Campbell, CA:  (202) 225-5611

André Carson, IN: (202)-225-4011

Robert J. Dold, IL: (202) 225-4835

Bill Huizenga, MI:  (202) 225-4401

Donald A. Manzullo, IL: (202) 225-5676

Carolyn McCarthy, NY: (202) 225-5516

Thaddeus G. McCotter, MI: (202) 225-8171

Gwen Moore, WI: (202) 225-4572

Gary G. Miller, CA: 202-225-3201

Ron Paul, TX: (202) 225-2831

David Scott, GA: (202) 225-2939

Gwen Moore, WI: (202) 225-4572

Gary G. Miller, CA: 202-225-3201

Ron Paul, TX: (202) 225-2831

David Scott, GA: (202) 225-2939

Thanks for taking action!

 

The news coming out of Congo, and all too often, Africa in general, is mostly dour and depressing. It’s an unbalanced view of a continent that is actually teeming with activism, entrepreneurism, hope, joy and beauty.

With that said, as an anti-slavery organization, part of our role is to expose problems that, frankly, ARE depressing. But our message always includes HOPE that slavery can be ended, and that people most affected by slavery hold the keys to sustainable solutions.

That is why I love a new video series from our friends at the Enough Project’s Raise Hope for Congo campaign. The “I am Congo” video series shows exactly where we get the inspiration to do our work: from the amazing people we meet there all the time.

When I tell people what I do or that I’m traveling to Congo, they usually respond: “Wow, isn’t it awful?” This video series shows why the answer is: “NO! It’s amazing! Congo is beautiful, and the people are amazing, and they inspire you every single day.”

I’ve met two of the five people featured in the launch of “I am Congo.” They fully deserve a shout out: Well done, Fidel and Petna!

Brazil’s Congress may soon take a huge step: sanction slaveholders through a constitutional amendment to confiscate land where people have been rescued by government anti-slavery squads.

The confiscated land would help landless families, who are often the most vulnerable to trafficking.

Proponents call it “the strongest legal instrument…for combating slavery in Brazil.” Land seizure is a penalty that slaveholders will take seriously. Brazil’s Congress may vote as early as May 8^th.

Brazil already has one of the world’s most effective anti-slavery police squads. They’ve liberated more than 37,000 slaves since 2003. More than half of these survivors were freed from remote cattle ranches or sugar cane plantations. Many were in very poor health, having been forced into heavy labor with limited food, drinking the same water as cattle. FTS’ partner, the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), is one of the main agencies filing official claims to trigger these rescues.

Activists around the world are signing a global petition to encourage approval of the amendment (called PEC 438).  It’s organized by Avaaz.org, and more than 50,000 people have signed already. You can too. The petition to Brazil’s president and Congress is in Portuguese, but here’s a translation:

“In a few days, the Brazilian Congress may vote for an historic amendment to the constitution which will make it possible to punish those exploiting workers in conditions of slavery and confiscate lands where slaves have been rescued, for use in the land reform program.

“This would be the strongest legal instrument ever passed for combating slavery in Brazil.

“It is unacceptable that, in the 21^st century, the horror of slavery still casts a shadow over every corner of this country, since thousands of people are currently enslaved. Last month, adults and children were rescued from a farm whose owner was a state legislator! They were living in small huts and drinking the same water used by cattle and other animals.

“It is time to take action. Our protest inside and outside of the country will put pressure on the Brazilian Congress so that those who perpetrate this torture and slavery against fellow citizens will pay the price.

“Please click on the right to join us and build together a deafening protest. Avaaz will meet in person with MP Marco Maia, President of the Chamber of Deputies, and give him our message.”

Click here to add your support. On the website, enter your name (“nome”), e-mail address, and country (“pais”). Use the code “EUA” for U.S. residents. Other fields can be ignored.

Thanks for taking a stand!

You may already have seen some of Lisa Kristine’s captivating photographs that feature work of Free the Slaves around the world. Now, you can see Lisa talk about her experiences capturing the reality of slavery in mine shafts, brick kilns and makeshift brothels.

Lisa’s recent TedX presentation is available online. She spoke in January in Hawaii.

Lisa’s collection of images is available in an inspiring book, Slavery. It’s available directly from Lisa’s gallery. Proceeds benefit Free the Slaves.

Historic news this week from a special U.N court. Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was convicted of “aiding and abetting” crimes against humanity.

The charges included sexual slavery of women, and conscripting children to fight as soldiers, which is also a form of slavery. The charges are a result of Taylor’s support for rebel troops during the civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone.

The court determined Taylor did not directly command rebel troops who committed the atrocities, but he was guilty nonetheless because of his support for them.

“This judgment confirms that with leadership comes not only power, but also responsibility,” said the chief prosecutor in the case.

Taylor’s conviction on Thursday is the first time a former head of state has been convicted of war crimes since World War II.

You can read more in the Washington Post and the U.N. News Service, and see broadcast coverage on Al Jazeera.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is speaking out against modern-day slavery, saying it’s “urgent” to “more successfully identify, assist, and seek justice on behalf of the millions of human trafficking victims who have been trapped in some form of slavery, bonded labor, or forced prostitution.”

He spoke Tuesday evening in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Clinton School of Public Service.

“It is alarming, and almost unfathomable,” Holder noted, “to consider that – 150 years since President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation; more than six decades after the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights prohibited the practice of slavery on a global scale; and nearly a dozen years from the day that, with President Clinton’s approval, the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act became law – today, in communities across and beyond this country, slavery persists.”

Holder noted it was fitting that his remarks came during National Crime Victims Rights Week.

“Without question,” Holder said, slavery has reached “crisis proportions.” For his full remarks, click here.

Today is Emancipation Day in our nation’s capital. It is more than just a local holiday and the reason your federal taxes are due a day later this year. That is because this year marks the 150th anniversary of emancipation in America.

On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act, passed by Congress, to free nearly 3,000 slaves in D.C. The act ended slavery in the district several months before Lincoln announced that he would issue the Emancipation Proclamation to free slaves in the South.

Although slavery is now illegal, on this anniversary it is important to remember that it still exists—in the U.S. and around the world. The work of the abolition movement is not done. What Lincoln and others began remains unfinished business.

On this D.C. Emancipation Day, I would like to express a thank you to each and every person who remains committed to supporting Free the Slaves and the work we are doing to end slavery worldwide.

For some inspirational reading, here is a link to the actual text of the D.C. Emancipation Act.

You may eat sustainable food. You probably support green building. You likely recycle, compost, and buy local.

But what about sustainable people? What about the tie between fair trade and human rights? And how close it all is to home?

If you’re in Berkeley on April 20 you should drop by “The Slave Next Door.” It’s an event named after the FTS book that exposes modern slavery in the U.S. You can hear inspiring speakers, meet local organizations, buy fair-trade products—and get ready to make justice personal.

The Project Peace Speaker Series is proud to host FTS co-founder Kevin Bales, co-author of The Slave Next Door and one of the world’s leading experts on modern-day slavery. As well, a local slavery survivor, Minh Dang, will join the discussion for a night of information, inspiration, and action.

Many Bay Area anti-trafficking organizations are participating in the event. It is sponsored by Free the Slaves, Fair Trade USA, and Mazzarello Media and Arts.

Mark your calendar: Friday, April 20, 2012, 7:00-9:30pm- doors open at 6:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church,2407 Dana Street,Berkeley,CA94704. Check here for tickets.

We’re really close to our goal, with just a few days left to our special campaign. FTS supporters have been answering the call donate the book Slavery to California schools and libraries. You can put us over the top on our Freedom Education Project on Indie GoGo. All donations, big or small, get us closer to the goal.

Now that’s a better way to help educate kids than buying a lottery ticket!

Most kids learn that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. That’s not entirely accurate. Lincoln helped make slavery illegal. But that hasn’t prevented slavery from still existing.

There are 27 million slaves in the world today – more than any other time in history. Thousands are here in theU.S.Just like inLincoln’s time, slaves are forced to work without pay under threat of violence, and they’re unable to walk away.

Join the pilot phase of our Freedom Education Project on IndieGoGo. Our goal is to donate 27 books about modern slavery to schools and libraries inCalifornia. The books feature the luminous photography of Lisa Kristine, who has traveled to the frontlines to capture Free the Slaves field projects around the world.

See photos from the book in a stunning video at the Freedom Education project webpage.

All proceeds help Free the Slaves fight slavery worldwide.