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SWEATSHOP MAKE POVERTY HISTORY WHITE BANDS - MAKE IT RIGHT

giveearthbacktothepeople | 08.04.2006 11:49 | Globalisation | Repression | Social Struggles

The Make Poverty History white wristbands which were sold at the event in 2005 for £1 with 70p going to charities were made by Chinese sweatshop workers contrary to even Chinese law and the so-called Ethical Trading Initiative. Send your wristbands to cronies at the charities and donate money for real change.


People working for the Tat Shing Rubber Manufacturing Company in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong had little health and safety, long hours, seven day working and employess were ripped off from pay with insufficient insurance, no holidays or freedom of association. Some are even subject to forced labour.

Last year’s Make Poverty History event was taken over by the very people who are contributing to the plight of the poor across the world. Among those wearing the white wrist bands were Blair and Bono, both calling for selected aid rather than the privatisation of essential resources such as water and removal of land.

I call upon people not to give any money or aid to charities without investigation. This includes what exactly are they doing for poverty? who gives them money? Are they facilitating or dictating? who are they affiliate to?

Until there is money for an independent audit give no money to charities like Oxfam, Christian Aid and Cafod who have rightly been accused of "rank hypocrisy".

I am personally only going to give money or help to organisations like Campesina and Medicins Sans Frontiere or ethical organisations like Corporate Watch and Human Rights Watch.

giveearthbacktothepeople