Shopping is rarely a life changing experience. But today I stopped at a new shop on Cape called Emancipation Imports - a part of The Emancipation Network (TEN). The store had been featured in a local shopping guide and promoted unique hand-made gifts made by survivors of slavery or women and children at risk for slavery due to poor economic and governmental situations.
The store itself was tiny, hardly bigger than my kitchen, but true to their promotion, there were many unique and beautiful items. I selected a suede hand-bag, a small woven carrier for my blackberry, some bracelets for gifts, and reluctantly passed on some additional jewelry for myself. The store owner told me since I had spent more than $50 I could either select a messenger bag made of recycled materials or a t-shirt with TEN written across it. I had noticed the bag earlier and in red print on the front it said 27, 12 1/2, 1000 as well as the words END SLAVERY and www.madebysurvivors.com. It was striking but I had no idea what the numbers meant.
This is when shopping took a turn. When I asked the meaning this is what she told me.
27 is for the estimated 27 Million slaves in the world - TODAY in 2007!
12 1/2 is the average age of the slaves
1000 is the estimated dollar value placed on a human life in the slave trade
I was blown away and literally brought to tears by these statistics. I took the bag and will carry it every day to remind me. Please visit their site and support this important cause.
Was I really complaining about a mouse in my beach house?
1 comment:
I know the people at TEN, and they are wonderful. The statistics that you found so disturbing are mostly from my book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. It sets out the shape of the problem of contemporary slavery - but I want to tell you that in just a few days my new book will be out that explains the solution - it is called Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. The folks at the Emancipation Network will be helping to promote it, as we do their goods. I know these facts are shocking, but there is hope and amazing stories of liberation and healing. Warm wishes to you,
Kevin Bales (www.freetheslaves.net)
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