As mentioned before, Fair Trade is a good alternative. Buying Fair Trade not only allows for independent workers to get fair prices for the goods they trade, but it is a way for you, the consumer, to know that what you bought wasn’t made by poorly paid and treated employees. Additionally, purchasing Fair Trade products is almost a way to silently protest and let others know that benefiting from others’ hardships should not be tolerated.
Fair Trade is definitely a movement in the right direction to let fellow citizens and politicians know through consumption that trade and its effects need to become more just for everyone.
Is there way to be more direct in lobbying to end injustice through trade? One organization, Oxfam International, is attempting to do so. Basically, they are a group of 14 organizations and over 3,000 smaller, local organizations looking to “lift people out of poverty and injustice” around the globe. They are doing this through raising awareness to everyone about the problems and then campaigning and talking to those who make decisions about altering current policies and regulations to ensure justice. This organization works with multiple issues, but one of the larger ones with which they deal is trade.
This is an image to display Regional Trade Agreements between developing countries
It can be seen that many rich countries are reaping most of the benefits of international trade, while leaving poor countries behind. Oxfam was able to note the five of the major problems which are responsible for these inequities: Dumping, Market Access, Forced Liberalisation, Labour Rights, and Regional Trade Agreements. These are the issues this organization is trying to remedy through the use of the methods listed above.
Oxfam has worked hard to make a difference, and they have definitely come a long way in instilling fair trade between companies and countries. Here are just a few examples…
One of the major achievements is that they were able to talk with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and make it so that poorer countries didn’t have to reduce their tariffs on imported agricultural goods, which are necessary for survival.
They were also able to get almost 20 million people, including many celebrities, to join the Big Noise petition, part of the “Make Trade Fair” campaign, to let leaders and governments know unfair trade isn’t tolerated. The Big Noise petition was paired with a competition to get people around the globe to submit a campaign idea in support of the Make Trade Fair campaign to spread the word.
Campaigning is shown to work: Oxfam spoke with the head of Starbucks and the leaders of Ethiopia to persuade Starbucks to sign a licensing agreement with Ethiopia to sell its coffee products. This was achieved. But, none of this could have been done without the continual and strong campaigning by nearly 100,000 people around the world. Overall, Oxfam believes that this agreement “could change the coffee industry forever.” This is just a small example, of many to come, which shows that change can be made, and equal treatment and fair prices in trade can be achieved through a lot of hard work.
Through the various successful stories shown by the works of Oxfam, and from the continual sales of the Fair Trade products in department stores around the world, change can be made to help reduce the harmful effects of international trade. You can make a difference by simply buying Fair Trade products and knowing that it came from a trustworthy source, by supporting Oxfam international and becoming active in their initiative and quest for an end to poverty and inequality, and by contacting your local representative or leader and ask that they support the ideals that Oxfam and Fair Trade value when making trade related agreements and decisions.
Although there is still much, much to do in terms of reducing trade inequalities, there are definitely alternatives, which can slowly make the world more equal for everyone by ensuring fair treatment and payment.
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