Foreword In this magazine the notion of being forced is going to be explored. The idea to create a magazine that has ‘Forced’ as a running theme throughout it came from the feeling of being forced because of a few simple reasons. Firstly sometimes even by trying to send out a positive and important message it very often happens that charities and organisations leave individuals with a feeling of guilt. Secondly it doesn’t matter where you look it always feels like modern media like banners, TV adverts and even people are trying to sell you something, make you give something join something and so on, information overload is the word that came to my mind. Contributing to charities is extremely and beyond words important and so is getting educated on difficult matters which is what I am trying to achieve in the magazine in some way, but by telling a story, not by making you, my reader feeling guilty and bad about your own problems. To introduce the idea of being forced we started with a powerful shoot with the hyper talented model Jessica R Williams looking physically forced to be in the position she is in, she is styled in black to demonstrate restraint and hardness. Going forward, there is a feature on children in the cocoa fields being enslaved in the Ivory Coast. And after that a chapter on forced marriage, a global issue but also a local one, with an animation illustrations and an article. The last part of the magazine ends on a positive note; being forced to do, say, work or believe happens too often but in order to step out of the situation a necessary step to take is the acknowledgement that you are important.
Joanna Lieber
skirt: Maje, shoes: Asos, top: H&M
Chocolate child slaves
Chocolate or cocoa is associated with smiles, memories, guilty little pleasures and many other positive associations but for thousands of people chocolate is the reason for their enslavement, often harvested in plantations in West Africa the job is too commonly done by children. CNN correspondent David McKenzie travelled to the Ivory Coast , which is the largest global cocoa producer , it produces 40 percent of the worlds supply of chocolate, to investigate the workings of the many cocoa fields, more specifically what happens to the children on the fields. Abdul is 10 years old and working on a field, like a lot of the other children there he has never so much as tasted chocolate. Opening countless pods of cocoa and compiling piles and piles of beans and clearing grass is what he does daily. He has been working on the cocoa fields for three years, what he gets is a little food and the torn clothes on his back . In 2004 Amnesty International estimated number of children, working in the cocoa fields, forced to work, and send there against their will at quarter of a million. A lot children as young as 10 year old are using machetes and other dangerous equipment to harvest the cocoa beans, are completely put out of education and work about twelve hours a day.
The situation in the Cocoa trade was suppose to better after some very strong allegations of violations to the biggest cocoa brands in 2001, the Harkin-Engel protocol is an initiative that was created to help abolish the violations of human rights and mainly to end child labour and slavery in the cocoa trade and increase ‘fair trade chocolate’. Unfortunately the law did not go through and in 2012 child slavery is still immensely high in cocoa farm. In response to the current issues at the start of the new year (2012) the leading US chocolate producer Hershey pledges 10 million us dollars to improve the trade and educate West African cocoa farmers. Although it is a start towards the abolishment of child slavery in the fields, a lot of work is yet to be done.
Karma Nirvana ‘A forced marriage is a marriage where one or both parties do not consent to the marriage, and pressure or abuse is used.’ Fco.gov.uk Forced Marriage is a persistent problem that occurs mainly amongst woman and girls, however some men and boys have also been victims. These marriages are often unofficial and therefore undocumented, making it difficult to compile accurate statistics on them. But according to the International Centre of Research on Women 51 million girls under eighteen years old were married in 2003, a figure that was expected to rise. Similarly Unicef estimates that in parts of the world like South Asia and Africa 45% of women between 18 and 24 were married before they turned eighteen. In the U.K. an average of 5000 to 8000 forced marriages occur yearly, as a result to forced marriages the Forced Marriage act came into force in November 2008, making the task easier for courts to deal with cases of forced marriages individually offering protection to victims without criminalizing the family.
Another important development on forced marriages is the development of help centres that assist victims through forced marriages and support them with any help needed. Founded in 1993 in the UK a centre called Karma Nirvana is supporting victims that cannot speak for themselves due to cultural barriers trough their experiences. Founder Jasvinder Sanghera opened the centre guided by her own experiences, her sister Robina was in a forced marriage she did not want to break, in order to honour her family but she could not bare to be abused longer and ended her days. Other then helping victims through their forced marriages, Karma Nirvana also wants to break the silence and educate on the matter to raise public awareness. An interview witha representative from Karma Nirvana.
How long have you been working at Karma Nirvana?
I have been at Karma Nirvana since August 2009 as a volunteer and since November 2010 as the senior call handler. Â
How old are the victims on average Do they usually stay in the uk or where when it is announced to them that they do they go? will get married? Some callers marriages have taken This age can vary however we often find place abroad usually because their that just before the summer holidays in spouse is from a different country and it around June or July we see an increased is easier for the british citizen from here calling rate from younger girls and boys to get a visa into the country for a short who are fearful at the ages of 16, they period, in which the marriage usually will be taken abroad to be forced to takes place. Some victims have told us marry. This usually happens because that support is limited out in countries after 16 it is not compulsory for a young such as India and Pakistan and they person to be in education therefore have been very scared and not known nobody is monitoring to see where they where to turn to for support as they are are. Although below the age of 18 social often taken to rural villages. Some services still have a duty of care. victims tell us how they were forced to stay in the country native to their What happens to the victims spouse and were not allowed back to emotionally after they hear they are the UK, in some situations they were going to get married? told to «make the marriage work» and upon retunring to the UK the families Victims on the helpline usually tell us would force the victims to sponsor their they feel scared either because of the spouse to the country, showing that they prospect of what could happen to them have lived out in the spouse›s native after being forced to marry or taking country for a period of time after steps to leave the situation. They may marriage. often feel upset because they did not think that there family would force them After how long do they decide to into a marriage and often use emotional contact Karma Nirvana? blackmail to make the victim feel guilty if they do not go ahead with the Some people will contact marriage. It can also be a confusing time straightaway once they hear of the as they may want to leave and go to a organisation maybe from a professional, safer place but they may find it difficult friend or neighbour or from doing their leaving certain members of their own research. However we family behind, such as their siblings and appreciate for some victims it is diffcult may not know what their options are. At to talk about what may be or what may Karma Nirvana the helpline is here to have happned and often they can tell support any individual who is us they may have had our number for a experiencing any of the above situations while before calling. Some victims are and it is our aim to support them to help afraid their families will find out if they them to be in a safer and happier do talk to anyone about the situation situation.
however we encourage that the helpline is confidential and that the callers can remain anonymous. We also encourage the victims to call back if they wish and continue to recieve on-going support practically and emotionally. What happens to the victims after they decide to fight against what is happening to them and go against what their family inflicts on them? Some victims have to deal with disownment and isolation from their families, this can be extremely difficult to deal with and we offer on-going emotional support to individuals surviving after experiencing abuse and making the brave decision to leave. Some victims tell us that once they have left their families have made great attempts to find them either going to the police, social workers, friends etc to find out where the victim may have gone. Some families will contact a «bounty hunter» who they will pay to locate the family member and this can often put the victim at further risk. We often suggest to victims that once they have left it may be a good idea to change phone numbers and emal address as victims on the helpline tell us family members can become increasingly emotionally abusive over the phone saying things like «come back everything will be different» or that someone is ill in the family or that siblings are missing them. Threats are also made over the phone about what they will do if the victim is found by the family.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt as a Karma Nirvana representative?
As a Karma Nirvana team member I have learnt how important it is to be able to go out to professionals and the public to raise awareness as some people think that forcing someone to marry is a part of someone›s religion, when it is abuse. This can often lead to people not giving the right response or contacting the right agencies in order to obtain support for the victim. The more awareness that is raised amongst individuals the more likely victims will be to get some support and to reduce their isolation. Often some victims are very isolated and do not have the capacity to go out and find the support or contact someone and often we have friend or neighbours who call on behalf of a victim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDxYSweQVuo
top: Sandro, Jeans: Uniqlo Sneakers: Isabel Marant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UNxcJOqDe4
We are all forced everyday to some extend, even if there are potentially different ways of being forced, feeling like we are trapped happens more often then not, on small or large scales, on emotional levels and on physical levels. Reason being why centres like Karma Nirvana and Amnesty International are so important and are really making a difference when a situation is too hard to bare. But there is another critical realisation that has to happen before any organistation can come to help or even when a problem can be resolved on its own. The realisation that you are important, what you feel, what you want, what you say and what you think, especially in a situation where you feel like you are forced. In order to be able to get yourself out of the situation a nessesary step is to take yourself into account.
This magazine has been created in partnership with Amnesty International and the London College of Fashion.
The Bibliograpy Article Forced to work (2012) CNN Working in Cocoa fields at 10 (http://edition.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/world/2012/01/16/cfp-abdul-chained-chocolate.cnn) Accessed on 09-01-2012 S.Burtke, (2012) CNN Chocolate’s child slaves (http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/12/chocolates-child-slaves/) Accessed on 22-02-12 D.Mckenzie (2012) CNN, Hershey pledges 10 million$ to improve West African cocoa farming, (http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/31/hershey-pledges-10-million-to-improve-west-african-cocoa-farming-fight-child-labor/?hpt=hp_c2) (2007) Amnesty International, West Africa Chocolate Amnesty International expresses alarm at continuing child labour in cocoa industry (http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=17323) Accessed on 22-02-12 Article Forced Marriage A.Travis (2011 ) Forced marriage in England could number to 8000, The Guardian, (http://www.guardian. co.uk/world/2011/dec/12/forced-marriages-england-number-8000) Accessed 22-01-2012 (2011) FCO (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/when-things-go-wrong/forced-marriage/infofor-professionals) Accessed 22-01-2012 J. Sanghera (2011) Karma Nirvana (http://www.karmanirvana.org.uk/a-word-from-jasvinder-sanghera. html) Accessed 01-02-2012 United Nations (2009) Forced and early marriage (http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/vaw_legislation_2009/Expert%20Paper%20EGMGPLHP%20_Cheryl%20Thomas%20revised_.pdf) Accessed on 05-03-2012 Accessed 22-02-12