Contemporary Slavery and Palm Oil in Washington State - Research Paper Example

due: Contemporary slavery and palm oil in Washington Introduction Palm fruit is the raw product of palm oil. This fruit is a central hard-shelled nut enclosed by an outer pulp which holds the ordinary palm oil of trade. The nut holds the palm kernel oil where a different kind of oil known as ‘palm kernel oil’ is removed through pressing and the remaining part is used to make palm kernel cake which is a valuable animal feed. The elevated and enlarged produce of the palm oil have resulted to a quickly growing world industry, now found in the tropical areas of America, Africa, and Asia. The roots of palm oil is assumed to have been in Africa but the highly productive areas of the industry presently are in Indonesia and Malaysia which produce the biggest share of the oil getting into international commerce (Corley & Tinker 1). Palm oil is used in one or two products sold in Western shops varying from Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to Dove soap. Labeling statutes in the United States allow palm oil to be registered simply as vegetable oil, and this makes clients not aware of its presence in the products being consumed (Accenture for Humanity United, Para1). Despite the fact that the palm oil is the most used vegetable oil in the whole world, it is produced through forced and child labor that amounts to slavery. According to a nine-month inquiry for Bloomberg Businessweek, a lot of information was collected on labor environment in the palm oil industry (Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University para1). The investigation revealed that an estimated 3.7 million workers and consisted of thousands of underage laborers who are exposed to abusive and dangerous working environment. Former workers who were interviewed confirmed that the labor contractor for a leading palm oil producing organization defrauded held captive and abused workers (Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University, Para 6). To be able to sustain the rising demand of palm oil internationally most producers depend on forced labor and other kinds of contemporary slavery. What links exist between one natural resource or product and the community where you live? (You may imagine your community as your hometown, or Washington State) In my opinion the links that exist between palm oil and Washington State is that the palm oil is used in various consumer products ranging from biofuels, cosmetics, cleaning products, ice-creams, toothpaste and baked goods. Almost 50% of goods used on a daily basis in Washington State contain palm oil (Corley and Tinker 473). Palm oil is in high demand due to its cheap price and its value. I agree with Corley and Tinker (2007) that palm oil is suitable shorthand for the oil, processed products and its fractions (p. 473). The palm oil and its fractions are utilized as cooking oil in the form of bakery fats and margarines, as a replacement of butter in some dairy products, in vanspati, and in confectionary fats. The other factor that contributes to high demand of palm oil in Washington State is its ability to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The fatty acid makeup of the palm oil has generated a lot of attention in determining its effect in minimizing the risk of coronary heart illness (Kole 97). This is proven by a research carried out on rabbits, the red palm oil proved to be effective in minimizing the severity of induced cholesterol atherosclerosis (Kritchevsky 182-188). The palm oil consists of palmitic acid (44%), which is the main saturated fatty acid that is balanced by 11% polyunsaturated linoleic acid and 39% monounsaturated oleic acid. The remaining component is generally 5% stearic and 1% myristic acids. This makeup is considerably unlike the palm kernel oil that is mainly 85% saturated fat and is mainly used in manufacturing of animal feeds (Corley & Tinker 1). These percentages show that the concentration of fats is well balanced and hence suitable for human use. I agree with Kole (2007), that a high proportion of palm oil as the fat component in the diet is healthy and cannot increase the risk of coronary heart disease (Kole 97). The other feature that contributes to the use of palm oil is that virgin palm oil undergoes a minimum processing hence it maintains a lot of its natural flavor and aroma (Fife 142). The palm oil is used in many household as a main ingredient in the kitchen. The quality red palm oil produces a pleasant, savory and mild taste and when it is utilized in cooking it adds a taste of food. It is used as a condiment when doing butter to savor foods, is added to pasta, vegetables and soup to increase flavor, spread on bread and used as a base in salad dressing. This wide use in the kitchen makes it available in selected grocery stores as well as best health stores (Fife 142). I concur with Fife (2007), that red palm oil is the best natural oil that is used in production of food and this is evident from its numerous uses (Fife 142). The palm oil is also commonly used as a dietary supplement. It is used to give a natural source of various vitamin E, vitamin K, sterols, mixed carotenoids, CoQ10, squalene and other nutrients. To acquire the nutritional value palm oil is taken with foods. This can either be taken raw using a spoon or used in food production. The value of one tablespoon (15ml) of red palm oil gives same of the adult US RDA of vitamin E and A. in young children of preschool age one teaspoon (5ml) provides the US RDA for Vitamin A and E. for children between six and twelve years can take two teaspoons. For those who do not like taking the oil its original form gel capsules are available (Fife 142). In my opinion this paragraph exhibits the advantages of using palm oil on daily basis as it improves health in both young children and adults. What legal, social, economic, political or geographic aspects have helped maintain the links between your resource or product and slavery? Palm oil is produced in large scale plantation. This involves real planting of oil palms and technical change in the process of production. The labor in the large-scale plantations is provided by slaves (Law 211). Most of the palm oil is made in Malaysia and Indonesia. Due to the rising demand in the transnational production sequences the oil palm plantations in Indonesia are expanding rapidly. This increase in the oil palm plantation production has resulted to a lot of land being converted into plantations (Pye 56). Indonesia became the leading palm oil producer in the world by the year 2010 with a total of 9.4 million hectares of plantation generating twenty-one million tons of crude palm oil (CPO). This has led to the Indonesian government to develop a palm oil model for the country. From the economic perspective, the Indonesian government aims in promoting investment in the palm oil sector and has created Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil System (Pye 56). In my opinion, this will result to a lot of palm oil plantations being put up and more work laborer will be required and this will promote more slavery. The policy in biofuel also plays an essential part in the expansion of palm oil plantations that will lead to more foreign workers being smuggled into the country to provide cheap labor. The palm oil production has resulted to a lot of environmental complications due to the clearing of forests to give way for plantations (Pye 59). The use of machines in the plantation results to the destruction of the natural anatomy of soil and its morphology through sedimentation, decomposition and compaction that contaminates the neighboring river habitats and watercourses. There is also a lot of carbon emitted into the air and interferes and change the sources of ground and surface water (Pye 59). There are numerous applications of agrochemicals in the plantations. Application of fertilizer is very essential for oil palm farming, and they use both chemical and organic fertilizers. Agrochemicals are utilized to manage grass and weeds. There is also regular use of chemical insecticides and pesticides which are dangerous to the environment and human health (Pye 61). Palm oil fresh fruits are highly perishable that necessities that they are processed within a day. This leads to mills being put up in the plantation at a distance of 4,000-5,000 hectares and leads to a lot of pollution (Pye 64). The expansion of oil palm plantation has also led to negative social results for example there is a lot of corruption in permit allocations, the community is denied rights in their land, and dishonesty in community dialogue that result to the loss of ecosystem services and goods. People lose their agroforestry plots, medicinal plants, vegetables, forest fruits, as well as bush meat, (Pye 65). This contributes greatly to the increasing violence and social dispute between companies and communities on palm oil plantations (Rainforest Action Network, Para 4). When the community loses their lands to big palm oil plantations, they are forced to look for jobs in the plantations as laborers. With nothing to support them they are forced to work in abusive and inhuman condition for fewer wages and in some instances they are not paid which is contemporary slavery (Pye 69). There is a growing gap amid the poor and rich which means that more people will find themselves in slavery. According to Hoffman (2013), farming of palm oil needed rigorous labor and the production costs are minimized by employing slaves (p.11). Many laborers who are turned into slaves are lured into the job through promises of a better future and good salaries to stop poverty that makes them leave their own countries and homes in search of greener pasture (Rainforest Action Network, Para 3). From a report published by one green planet it disclosed that plantation estates managed by Kuala Lumpar Kepong which is the fifth largest palm oil producer in the world, was involved in slavery, fraud, violence against labors and human trafficking in their plantations (One Green Planet, Para 3). As stated in the report the Kuala Lumpar Kepong supplies palm oil to various U.S. companies including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, California Oils, BASF, Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill. Cargill supplies palm oil to General Mills, Kellogg, Nestle and Kraft foods. Companies buying palm oil from Kuala Lumpar Kepong constantly deny being aware of the human violations that take place in palm oil plantations in Indonesia (One Green Planet, Para4). In the documentary film about slaves’ one thing is for sure that the people using the products produced through slavery are not aware on the conditions that the labors are exposed to in the process of their manufacture. Young children are forced to work in plantations, and nothing is offered to them in return. The children are denied education which is a basic need and even medical care. They are also denied the chance of developing that is they find themselves experiencing a lot of hardship that is too much for them, and they end up becoming hopeless in life (Free the Slaves, clip 1). What factors have helped reduce the links between your resource or product and slavery? According to a report by Ran.Org, the companies using palm oil held a forum where a senior Unilever executive persuaded 300 forum members to combine efforts and work towards stopping deforestation (Ran.Org. para 6). Major supply chains of palm oil demand that the main suppliers embrace a fundamental supply chain safeguards. This is because the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – certified palm oil plan is due in 2020. This has made the consumers push Cargill to embrace principle transparency, environmental and social safeguards for its universal supply chain (Ran.Org. para 8.1). There is also pressure on Cargill to move beyond mass balance and give fully isolated palm oil for their supply chains. This is because the mass balance talks about a system that permits the combination certified of fully isolated palm oil with non-certified oil at any point of the supply chain. However the system upholds the manufacture of RSPO-certified palm oil but does not assure the public that the palm oil they are buying does not increase the demand for palm oil that influences rainforest demolition and violation of human rights. The pressure on Cargill to improve the palm oil industry will make sure the palm oil in the market comes from accountable sources (Ran.Org. para 8.2). The government legislation comes up with policies that require the businesses involved in retail, trade and processing of palm oil meet their environmental and social accountability by embracing more reliable sourcing of palm oil. This would require all organizations put in place systems to determine the source of oil palm and the milieu in which it is manufactured. This will mean that the companies must take all responsible measures to minimize the negative environmental and social effects of their business (Friends of the Earth, Para 3). The Malaysian government has put in place particular procedures and policies for employers to meet in recruiting workers (Accenture for Humanity United 34). Foreign immigrants applying for jobs in peninsular Malaysia go through the Immigration Department and must come from specific Asian countries. It is a policy for companies in charge of plantations, manufacturing and services should only employ people from Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (Accenture for Humanity United 35). Then employers from Sabah are allowed to employ foreigners from Philippines and Indonesia only, and the persons have to pass through Sabah Department of Immigration. The organizations based in Sarawak and employ foreign workers get license and employment quota from the Department of Labor Sarawak (Accenture for Humanity United 35). Moreover, the workers are given a two-year contract which is supposed to be renewed by the employer after expiry which is allowed to be extended for a time span of no more than five years. For employers wishing to get extension after the five years have elapsed they must get certification from the Ministry of resources, the National Vocational Training Council or the Construction Industries Development Board to confirm that the specific worker qualifies as a skilled worker (Accenture for Humanity United 35). The permits given to the workers limit them to work solely for the employer who brought them into Malaysia. If the workers permit is cancelled by the employer he/she is supposed to be deported to the country of origin. The foreign worker is supposed to undergo frequent medical checkups which are mandatory and if they are found to have communicable illness such as HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis they are subject to be deported back to their home country. The employer is supposed to apply for renewal of work permits three months before expiry to protect foreign workers from unfair termination or discrimination against particular workers involved in key positions as leaders among their fellow workers (Accenture for Humanity United 35). The Malaysian governments have established a centralized migration system that took over direct recruitment. The system is made such that employers outsource workers from a specific group of labor agencies which are licensed by the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs (Accenture for Humanity United 35). This intervention by the government departments minimizes the exploitation of foreign workers because there before unlicensed agencies facilitated recruitment that lead to many people left stranded at the airport or being cheated. The intent of the government was to solve the foreign labor abuses by putting the responsibility of management, recruitment and placement of foreign workers on a central group of approved agencies (Accenture for Humanity United 35). The companies recruiting less than fifty workers are supposed to utilize specialized outsourcing agencies, and those hiring more than fifty workers can either employ the facilities of specialized agencies or can get the workers directly. What strategies should activists employ to further reduce these links? The activists should engage governments from the leading importers of palm oil. A good illustration is the United States where the Department of Labor and State Department identified that both Indonesian and Malaysian plantations use labor practices that are contemporary kind of slavery (Accenture for Humanity United 47). This could help the activists in achieving their goal of fighting for human rights of the foreign workers. It is easy for influential nations to impose a law that will only allow the purchase of segregated-certified palm oil. The governments are in a position to determine if the companies selling palm oil comply with the policies of recruitment in their respective countries (Accenture for Humanity United 50). The activists should come up with strategies to counter poverty in palm oil producing countries. Poverty is one of the principal causes of child labor because children are forced to fend themselves and in some cases take care of their families. The term poverty could be viewed from the perspective of the economic concept for instance lack of enough income. It can also be seen from the point of social, political, and personal factors. Poverty can also be viewed from the point of absolute poverty which is explained as shortage of resources to satisfy demands for survival. In addition relative poverty is the shortage of resources to acquire quality life that permits person to perform roles, engage in relationships and engage in a lifestyle that is seen normative of the community where they belong (Tamarack 5). The activists should also put more pressure on employing companies who employ precarious workers. Precarious workers are a group of workers who perform in the status of a permanent employee, but they are not provided permanent employee rights. Universally these workers are paid small wages, work in more dangerous environments and are given unstable jobs. They do not have the opportunity to unite workers and form a union because they fear losing their jobs (International Labor Rights Forum para 1). Foreign workers, women and minors are at high risk of getting this kind of employment. This change of permanent job to precarious employment is facilitated through outsourcing using employment bureaus who categorize jobs as ‘short-term’ or name workers under ‘independent contractors’ (International Labor Rights Forum, Para 1). The activists could also sensitize the world on the effects of biofuel. Palm oil is one of the sources of biofuel. Despite the fact that biofuels were considered a green dream come true it has resulted to slavery indirectly. Apart from slavery it has also resulted to deforestation of forests. This is evident from the massive cutting of tropical forests for palm oil plantations that have cause immense environmental destructions and huge loss of biodiversity (Knudson, Para 6). The human rights activists could also use stories from victims of forced labor and slavery to fight the vice. This can be documented as audio and video and the disseminated to the public through the modern mean of technology for example internet. This can be very helpful for the governments to identify the particular companies involved in slavery. Slavery is a global concern, and the people may support the movements to ensure that justice is given to the affected people. This can also lead to some slaves being rescued from the deplorable conditions. The young children can be put in institutions where they will receive education and other basic needs. This approach has been used by activists to fight terrorism and can be useful in this case (Parker 1122-1141). The activists can implement the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to change the indigenous individuals from marginalized ‘victims’ to actors and describing the discussion of indigeneity as a ‘right’ not a ‘claim’ (Steinebach 1). The discourse of ‘indigenous rights’ in Indonesia is about natural resources and in particular rights over land. Land conflicts between the communities and companies have become dangerous in Indonesia agricultural land. Moreover, there is increasing competition over resources between communities and companies investing in palm oil. The activists can draw their legitimacy from the establishment of the notion of indigenous people recognized by the International Labor Organization convention 169. This notion associates the local ideas of traditional society to the global discussion of indigenous rights and indigeneity. In recognizing who is ‘indigenous’ and who is not the activists are rightfully entitled to express adat-based rights about land and are recognized by the global context of Human Rights and UNDRIP declarations (Steinebach 64). To sum this up, slavery is illegal and against human rights. Any company involved in this vice should be condemned using all means available. Countries should join hands to ensure that the conditions of those working in the plantation for example palm oil fields have decent houses, access to medical care and their children are provided for education. When the workers are put in conducive conditions will lead to a healthy population that will produce more. When the workers are satisfied and the produce increases everyone will be happy and the products will be useful for the whole world as well. Works cited Accenture for Humanity United. "E Exploitative L Abor P Ractices in the G Lobal P Alm O Il I Ndustry." Http://humanityunited.org. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 6 Nov. 2014. . Corley, Rhv, and P B. H. Tinker. The Oil Palm. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons, 2007. Internet resource. Fife, Bruce. The Palm Oil Miracle. Colorado Springs, CO: Picadilly Books, 2007. Print. Free the Slaves. "Films: Documentaries - Free the Slaves." Films: Documentaries - Free the Slaves. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Friends of the Earth. Palm Oil, the Hidden Ingredient in Thousands of Everyday Products, Is Driving Rainforest Destruction. Http://www.foe.co.uk. Mar. 2004. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Hoffman, Beth. Behind the Brands: Food Justice and the big 10 Food and Beverage Companies. Oxfam GB, 2013. Print. International Labor Rights Forum. "International Labor Rights Forum." Precarious Work. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Kole, Chittaranjan. Technical Crops. Berlin: Springer, 2007. Print. Knudson, Tom. "The Cost of the Biofuel Boom: Destroying Indonesias Forests." By Tom Knudson: Yale Environment 360. 19 Jan. 2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Kritchevsky, David. "Impact of red palm oil on human nutrition and health." Food & Nutrition Bulletin 21.2 (2000): 182-188. Law, Robin. Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving port, 1727-1892. Oxford: James Currey, 2004. Print. One Green Planet. "Child Labor and Human-Rights Abuses Widespread in Indonesia’s Palm Oil Industry." One Green Planet. 22 July 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Pye, Oliver. The Palm Oil Controversy in Southeast Asia: A Transnational Perspective. , 2013. Print. Parker, Tom. "Redressing the balance: how human rights defenders can use victim narratives to confront the violence of armed groups." Human Rights Quarterly 33.4 (2011): 1122-1141. Rainforest Action Network. "Palm Oil Controversy Escalating | Rainforest Action Network." Rainforest Action Network. 2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Ran.Org. "Nestle at Rainforest Action Network." Rainforest Action Network. 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Yildiz, Ashley Schaeffer. "Nestle at Rainforest Action Network." Rainforest Action Network. n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University. "Schuster Institute Investigative Journalism." Schuster Institute Investigative Journalism. 2014. Web. 6 Nov. 2014. . Steinebach, Stefanie. "“Today we Occupy the Plantation–Tomorrow Jakarta”: Indigeneity, Land and Oil Palm Plantations in Jambi." Adat and Indigeneity in Indonesia (2013): 63. Tamarack. "CANADA A Compendium of Poverty Reduction Strategies and Frameworks." Http://tamarackcommunity.ca. Web. 7 Nov. 2014. . Read More