MAY 2016 ISSUE 9
WHY WE NEED A
ANITA’S WISH
THEOLOGY OF SHOPPING
GERSHON NIMBALKER
SCOTT HIGGINS
CATALYST UPDATE
Gershon Nimbalker We all sat together in Anita’s tiny, rented house. Mosquitoes swarmed about our heads. The only light in the mud floor home was thrown by a flickering candle. And as I listened to Anita’s sad story, my sense of frustration grew. At just 16 years old Anita is already a veteran of the spinning mills in Tamil Nadu, India. After her father abandoned them, Anita’s mother could not earn enough income to support the family he left behind. Anita had no choice but to give up school and find work. She took a job at a spinning mill three years ago. She works there still for just 150 rupees (about $3 AUD) a day; an amount which is below the minimum legal wage in India, and well below estimates of what it would take for Anita to make ends meet. Besides being underpaid, Anita is overworked. “I work from six in the morning until three or four in the afternoon,” she said. “After our shift is done they also force us to work overtime. No-one can question them.” But these are not the only things Anita is forced to endure. Her managers regularly turn a blind eye to the sexual abuse of their workers as well. It was difficult to hear Anita’s story. I was frustrated with the managers who were so willing to exploit her vulnerability. I was frustrated by the failure of the local government to enforce its own laws. I was frustrated with a system that fails to pay mothers a sufficient wage to keep their daughters in school. I was frustrated by brands that profiteer at the expense of the vulnerable. But as I catalogued my many frustrations, I became aware of yet another: I was frustrated with myself. As a consumer, I am connected to Anita’s exploitation too.
Baptist World Aid Australia has just launched the third edition of the Australian Fashion Report - a report designed to give consumers power to fight the exploitation of girls like Anita. This year the report assesses 308 brands – that’s 50% more companies than last year! In addition to continuing its tradition of rating companies from A to F on their efforts to mitigate the risk of exploitation in their supply chain, this year’s report also has a new and improved grading tool! Each year we’ve launched the report, substantial progress in the Australian fashion industry has been made - thanks to widespread media coverage, public engagement, the campaigning of individuals, a growing corporate conscience and an increasing public awareness of how the people who make our clothes are treated. This year is no different. The two Fairtrade companies, Etiko and Audrey Blue, were once again able to demonstrate that workers were receiving a **living wage across two stages of production: inputs and manufacturing. Most noteworthy perhaps is that a third of companies (up from just 13% last year) were able to demonstrate improved wages for at least some portion of workers. These companies included known Australian brands Sussan Group, R.M Williams and Pacific Brands, as well as large international companies Patagonia, Inditex (Zara) and H&M. The industry has learned to reduce the risk of child labour and forced labour in its supply chains substantially, by knowing who produces its product and by developing strong relationships and monitoring procedures with those suppliers. While most companies have directly traced their first tier suppliers, a major reason that young girls continue to be exploited is that input suppliers (like the spinning mill that
employs Anita) often sit outside the purview of companies. And if companies don’t know where their product is being made, they can do little to ensure that workers are protected. Only a third of companies had traced almost all of their input suppliers. The story is worse still deeper in the supply chain, with just 5% of companies having traced almost all their raw material (e.g. cotton) suppliers. Excitingly though, progress on traceability has improved markedly across the industry. The amount of companies claiming to have traced at least a portion of their input suppliers has gone from 49% (in 2013) to 80%. And again, we’ve seen some big brands leading the charge - including Australia’s Cotton-On Group, Jeanswest and Target. After Anita shared her story with me, I asked her what she would like to see change. Her wish was so simple, it hurt.
“My employers should pay me a decent wage – they shouldn’t pay me so little! And they should take care of our health. They should allow us to rest when we are sick, and get proper treatment.” The fashion industry has the ability to be an amazing force for good. At its best it provides investment, technology, taxes and decent jobs, which work to fuel the economic development of nations. We pray that our report helps you to stand with Anita in calling for living wages and better treatment of workers across the fashion industry.
Find out which brands are doing the most to protect their workers. Change the shape of your shopping. Go to behindthebarcode.org.au * Name changed for privacy and child protection reasons. **A wage sufficient for workers to afford basic necessities for themselves and their dependents, with a little left for emergency saving and discretionary spending.
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Raw Materials Most clothes travel through various parts of the world (and through many hands) before reaching store shelves. Our assessments focus on three stops along this chain: we evaluate each company’s management of the production of one main raw material, one main input, and the final manufacturing stage. The third edition of the Australian Fashion Report assesses a total of 87 companies (308 brands). While the majority of companies now have significant traceability of their final manufacturing stage of production, there is still progress to be made when it comes to the inputs and raw materials stages. Another key area of concern in the fashion industry is the payment of living wages. A living wage is recognised as a human right, yet the reality for the vast majority of garment sector workers is that wages are set so low that they (and their families) remain trapped in a cycle of poverty. It should come as no surprise then, that the chief concern amongst workers in this industry is their wage level.
Percentage of companies that have traced 100% of their raw materials production suppliers:
5% YES
A wage sufficient for workers to afford basic necessities (food; water; shelter; healthcare; electricity) for themselves and their dependents, with a little left for emergency saving and discretionary spending.
PARTIAL
61% NO
Percentage of companies that have developed a living wage methodology and calculated a living wage for each region that they operate in:
1% Living Wage:
34%
YES
3%
PARTIAL
96% NO
Percentage of facilities paying a living wage (partial refers to payments substantially above minimum wage):
0% YES
1%
PARTIAL
99% NO
OVER 80
78%
NEW BRANDS GRADED
32%
OF COMPANIES RESPONSIVE
TRACING OF INPUTS HAS INCREASED FROM 6% IN 2013 TO 97% IN 2016 FOR COMPANIES ASSESSED ACROSS ALL THREE REPORTS.
OF COMPANIES PAYING FAIRER WAGES (OF SOME FORM) up from 14% in 2015 since 2013
Inputs Production
Final Stage of Production
Percentage of companies that have traced 100% of their inputs production suppliers:
Percentage of companies that have traced 100% of their final stage production suppliers:
16%
69% 21%
YES
63% PARTIAL
21% NO
YES
PARTIAL
10% NO
Percentage of companies that have developed a living wage methodology and calculated a living wage for each region that they operate in:
Percentage of companies that have developed a living wage methodology and calculated a living wage for each region that they operate in:
7%
20% 40%
YES
14% PARTIAL
79% NO
YES
PARTIAL
20% NO
Percentage of facilities paying a living wage (partial refers to payments substantially above minimum wage):
Percentage of facilities paying a living wage (partial refers to payments substantially above minimum wage):
1%
1%
YES
14% PARTIAL
85% NO
YES
31%
PARTIAL
68% NO
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Across Australia, 65 Catalyst groups are dedicating their energy, creativity and hearts to grassroots advocacy campaigns. We are so inspired by their inventive methods of engaging their communities and seeking justice for the poor and oppressed. Here is a snapshot of what some Catalyst groups got up to last year!
Mount Pleasant Baptist, WA Tackling Injustice Mount Pleasant Baptist Catalyst Group has been speaking out against the injustice of multinational tax dodging, a practice which syphons hundreds of billions of dollars out of developing countries every year. Last July, the Catalyst group presented the problem of tax dodging at both a seniors’ luncheon, and during a church service; and found that many people took great interest in the issue. Having acquainted them with the problem, the group members then gave their church community the opportunity to speak out against this structural injustice in the global economy by signing an open letter to the Federal Treasurer, calling for Australia to take further action to address this practice.
What is Catalyst? Our Catalyst Program combines advocacy with ministry, facilitating church engagement in God’s work of justice. Resourced and supported by Baptist World Aid Australia, Catalyst groups typically meet once a month to pray for, learn about, and act on issues of injustice. Start a group or find out more: baptistworldaid.org.au/catalyst
Grange Baptist, SA The Power of Experience We were so impressed by Grange Baptist Catalyst’s trivia night. What a creative and fun way to inform their community about the effectiveness of Australian Aid! They ran the night as a real world simulation. Each table became a country and their score was adjusted according to that country’s income. The richer tables were able to buy food and drink after each round of questions but the poorer tables were not. The Catalyst group members found that experiencing this injustice themselves helped attendees to begin to understand inequality and poverty in the world!
North Pine Baptist, QLD Revealing God’s Heart For the members of North Pine Catalyst Group, leading their church’s Sunday evening service allowed them an opportunity to connect their community to God’s heart for the poor. At the service the church enjoyed ethically sourced food and drink, read Bible passages which spoke of God’s heart for justice and watched a number of video clips revealing the scourge of child and forced labour in the fashion industry. Ethical Fashion Guides were handed out and people became more informed about the value of shopping ethically. Reflecting on the night, one Catalyst member said that “there was certainly an increased awareness that concern for the poor is dear to the heart of God and that this should be replicated in the heart of every follower of Christ.”
Murwillumbah Baptist, NSW Advocacy at home
Kilsyth South Baptist, VIC Speaking out Together The Catalyst group at Kilsyth South Baptist empowers and equips its church to take part in national campaigns for justice. After presenting the issues of slavery and human trafficking in a Sunday service, Kilsyth South Baptist Catalyst members engaged their church in a Stop the Traffik postcard campaign, calling on the Just Group to take action to protect the workers in their supply chains. Their church’s voice joined the collective cry of thousands of Australians and as a result of these advocacy efforts, the Just Group have begun to engage with Baptist World Aid Australia, discussing what measures can be taken to protect their workers. What a wonderful demonstration of the power of advocacy!
In their regional town in Northern NSW, the Murwillumbah Baptist Catalyst Group has been hard at work. A newly formed group in 2015, one of its first activities was to advocate against the use of forced and child labour in the cocoa industry. In the weeks prior to Easter last year, the group faithfully walked the streets of Murwillumbah handing out ethically certified Easter eggs and flyers explaining how certification processes help to prevent the exploitation of cocoa industry workers. The group also targeted managers of local supermarkets, urging them to order more certified Easter eggs in 2016. As a result of their efforts, their local Coles stocked three times the varieties of certified eggs for Easter this year. What an outstanding result for this Catalyst group’s inaugural year!
Parramatta Baptist, NSW Wrestling Hard Questions The Catalyst group at Parramatta Baptist wanted to give their church a chance to wrestle with the most commonly held misconceptions regarding Australian Aid. For instance, how much do we actually invest in aid? Does aid work? How should we, as Christians, respond to aid? In order to help their church answer these questions, the Catalyst group organised a forum to be held in place of their evening service one Sunday night. The panel was made up of experts on aid and development who were able to help facilitate discussion and offer intelligently reasoned answers to some pretty curly questions! Not only was this a brilliant way to increase aid literacy in their community, but it also attracted interest from other Catalyst groups in the area who attended the event as well. What an amazing way to encourage unity around issues which stir God’s own heart!
Beaumaris Baptist, VIC Being Love The Catalyst group at Beaumaris Baptist Church want justice for refugees and asylum seekers. The group at Beaumaris dedicates itself to educating its church on the plight of those fleeing their home countries in search of safety and, importantly, its actions demonstrate the truth of its words. The group has extended a welcoming hand to newly arrived refugees in a local community nearby. Nine members of the church now regularly meet with their “refugee buddies” to help them learn English, navigate daily life and simply Be Love. “This has been an amazing experience.” remarked one group member, “Some wonderful friendships have developed.” What a beautiful response to God’s call to “love those who are foreigners”! (Deuteronomy 10:19). BE CHA NGE
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Scott Higgins Unless it involves books or boats I’m not a particularly enthusiastic shopper. I’d rather visit the dentist for root canal surgery than spend an afternoon traipsing from one shop to another looking for clothes. Yet despite my aversion, the reality is, I shop, and like most Australians, I shop a lot. And in recent years I’ve come to recognise that I need a theology of shopping. Living in a modern industrial market economy I am blissfully disengaged from the stages by which products come to me. I don’t milk the cow, I buy a bottle of milk from the dairy section of the supermarket. I don’t plant seeds, tend the fields or harvest the crop; I purchase washed, cleaned and packaged fruit and veg from the fruit and veg stand; and muesli in a box from the breakfast cereals aisle. Such disengagement means it is easy to forget that the stuff I consume represents the end stage of a long process that involves God, the Earth and people from all corners of the planet. And that means that consuming is always an action connected to God, to Earth and to others. If I trace back through the chain of production, it will always bring me to God; for everything I consume is ultimately derived from the world He created and is given shape by the ingenuity and creativity that He gifted humanity. So my shopping can be an act of worship, an occasion for gratitude. God has given us an incredibly beautiful and abundant world, designed to fill up our senses, nourish our bodies and sustain our existence. Whether it be the fuel that powers my car, the food that strengthens my body, the clothes that keep me warm or the book that I enjoy reading,
it is right to give thanks to God for them and for the chain of people stretching across the world who have contributed their giftedness to their production and supply. Shopping is also an opportunity to exercise God’s call to steward the Earth and to love my neighbour. Scientists tell us that the sheer scale of consumption has set us on a path of unsustainable use of the Earth’s resources. Species are disappearing at a frightening rate, the oceans are acidifying, the climate is changing and dead zones are appearing in our rivers and seas. Every time I enter a shopping mall I hear the seductive voice of consumerism promising me that I can have everything I desire; but concealing the terrible consequences of that promise. A theology of shopping calls me to shop with my eyes wide open, to resist the assumption that, because I can have it I should have it, and instead to remember that I am shopping as a steward of creation. So I will seek to purchase in ways that minimise my impact upon the earth, both limiting my levels of consumption and purchasing products that are eco-friendly. And I will shop as somebody who takes seriously God’s call to love my neighbour, remembering the teaching of Jesus that every human being is my neighbour. This includes the farmer in West Africa who grows the coffee beans I grind and the
garment worker in Bangladesh who makes the T-shirt I wear. I recognise that in choosing to buy their products I am supporting their livelihoods; that my simple act of purchasing the product they made is an act of love that contributes to the income they need to live decently. Yet I am also very aware that the workers of the developing world are often paid poverty level wages and work in unsafe conditions. Love for them should then drive me to demand that the multinational firms controlling the supply chain love their neighbour by paying fair wages and providing fair working conditions. Just because the market allows them to pay poverty level wages doesn’t mean they should. A theology of shopping tells me that my role as a shopper does not begin when I enter the store and conclude when I leave it, but continues in ongoing prophetic activism. Why do I need a theology of shopping? Because shopping connects us to God, creation and our fellow human being. It is an inherently religious act, an opportunity to live thankfully and dependently upon our Creator, to participate in the Creator’s call to steward the planet and to fulfil our Creator’s call to love our neighbour.
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Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves. It is a simple instruction, certainly, but it is also one which becomes infinitely more difficult in the “doing” than in the “knowing”. The SDGs (launched at the beginning of this year) provide an interesting way to engage with the act of loving our neighbour.
Sure. Most of us know the story of the Good Samaritan, but how deep does that understanding go? Take our fun (and slightly silly) quiz to find out! 1
hich quote about your neighbour do you identify W most with?
A: The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by and he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King, Jr. “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech. B: We can’t have moral obligations to every single person in this world. We have moral obligations to those who we come up against, who enter into our moral space so to speak. That means neighbours, people we deal with, and so on. Alexander McCall Smith, The Sunday Philosophy Club C: A good neighbour is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn’t climb over it. Arthur Baer
2
4
Who do you call your neighbour?
A: In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus explains that, contrary to the common perception of the time, the term “neighbour” includes all people regardless of their background. Therefore my “neighbour” might be someone across the street or someone on the other side of the world.
A: The poorest and most vulnerable communities most greatly experience the effects of climate change. Action on climate change is a direct acknowledgement of this fact and an important action of love for our global neighbour. B: It’s important to take care of the planet God has given us. The longer it is around, the longer we can go on loving our neighbour.
B: A “neighbour” is someone who lives in the house closest to mine. C: A “neighbour” is someone who lives on Ramsay Street. 3
One of the SDGs concerns climate change. How does climate action reflect our love for our neighbour?
C: I can’t get no… climate action. Isn’t that a Rolling Stones song?
How can the SDGs be related to Jesus’ instruction to love our neighbour?
5
A: The “Sustainable Development Goals” aim to help us end poverty and protect the planet; ensuring a great future for all of us as neighbours!
The SDGs provide an important platform for discussing our national commitment to aid. How does our government’s budgeted commitment to foreign aid relate to the concept of loving our neighbour?
A: It is our responsibility as a rich nation to be a good global neighbour; to actively work against poverty and injustice and show our commitment to the SDGs by increasing our foreign aid commitment.
B: Inviting the “Special Dinner Guests” around is a great way to get to know people in my church and neighbourhood. C: Maybe I should ignore the “Sassy Dog Groomers” next door who always park their car across my driveway?
B: The SDGs sound really useful broadly speaking, and I don’t deny that there are lots of problems in the world than need fixing, but our priorities as a nation should be domestic. Once that’s been taken care of, then we can consider increasing our foreign aid commitment. C: I believe in overseas aid, as long as it all goes to Tasmania.
TO SCORE:
A = 3 points, B = 2 points, C = 1 point
15
14
13
12
11
Whether or not you knew much about the SDGs before taking this quiz, your own daily commitment to love your neighbour has been translated into a practical expression of love. You’re passionate about global issues and enjoy learning as much as you can about global development plans.
10
9
8
7
6
5
The jig is up! Your secret desire to join the cast of Neighbours is out. Sadly, your poor knowledge of Rolling Stones lyrics let you down as you were auditioning for the part of “Stones Tragic Number 1”. Oh well, You Can’t Always Get What You Want!
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“Growth itself contains the germ of happiness.” Pearl S. Buck
MATCHING GRANT APPEAL 2016
Australian Government
Your
Up to
Aid Grant + $50 = $300
to multiply livelihoods
Food or school for your children? Julia no longer has to make this choice… thanks to your gift to the Matching Grant Appeal! Your gift plus government funds will have up to 6 times the impact for mums like Julia.
Deadline June 30 Call 1300 789 991 or visit www.baptistworldaid.org.au
The Australian Government provides funding to support our overseas development projects. For every $5 of government funding, we must provide at least $1 in supporter donations. Donations must be received by 30 June 2016. Gifts of $2 and over are tax deductible.
We always love to hear from our readers! If you would like share your story, please contact the editor Samara Linehan at hello@baptistworldaid.org.au. Baptist World Aid Australia Locked Bag 2200 North Ryde NSW 1670 Australia P 1300 789 991 INT +61 2 9451 1199 F +61 2 9889 5151 E hello@baptistworldaid.org.au Baptist World Aid Australia Ltd ABN 86 164 099 736 Baptist World Aid Australia is a member of the Transform Aid International Group