The Economic Summit IV at the Edgewater Hotel
Modern day slavery
Modern day slavery
Photo by Omar Darboe/First Class Photography
Jennifer Rowe addresses The Economic
Summit IV at the Edgewater Hotel on October
22.
Jennifer Rowe addresses The Economic
Summit IV at the Edgewater Hotel on October
22.
And while that forced labor might be occurring halfway around the world, its impact can lower labor standards in our own backyard. “If someone is in a
forced labor situation and they are creating the sweaters that are sold for $4, then people in legitimate businesses who can only afford to sell those sweaters for
$28 can’t do so,” Rowe said. “Who is going to spend an additional $24 per sweater if they are not aware that people’s lives have been put at risk making that $4
sweater? Legitimate business is at risk. But the bigger problem is that human rights across the globe are at risk. You don’t know how many countries something
has been through in the process before it gets to the U.S. And because of the free trade agreements and the flattening of our global economy, none of us are
immune from human rights violations anywhere.”
As an international company based in Milwaukee with 2007 sales of $21.5 million and operating in 80 countries, Manpower is trying to leverage its position
to have a positive impact on the forced labor situation. “Manpower — because we are an employment services company and our aim is to help people all over
the globe find meaningful work — realized that one of the ways we could contribute by using our expertise is to help populations of people whose situations are
such is they end up in forced labor situations,” Rowe said. “If we can raise the economic standards in a place where people are victims of human trafficking,
those people won’t be victimized anymore. And if we can do that using our four competencies, then there is no excuse not to. We absolutely have to do that or
we’re an irresponsible global citizen. If as a corporation, you’ve decided to have your manufacturing in a place where there is a significant risk of human
trafficking and forced labor, it’s that much more incumbent on you to make sure that you are doing the right thing for the people of those countries. In fact, the
best way Manpower can help is not by people in the U.S. doing something, but by our local office in all of these localities making sure we are abiding by the
rules and we are ensuring that our suppliers in those areas are abiding by the rules. You can’t play if you aren’t there.”
Manpower has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to human trafficking by its suppliers. But it isn’t a case of cutting them off if a violation is found out.
Rather, Manpower will work with a supplier — to a point — to correct the situation.
Rowe and Manpower realize that there is little they can accomplish on their own. As they ensure that they are not directly or indirectly involved in forced
labor situations, Manpower is committed to working with the global community. “This will never be a problem that we can combat until we come together has a
globe to combat it,” Rowe emphasized. “Manpower is expending resources to do what we can. But we can only be successful in conjunction with other
organizations, corporations, citizens, governments, multilateral and NGOs around the world to make this a priority. And the more people know about it, the more
likely it will become a priority.”
Rowe hopes this kind of impact in small groups will lead to a greater community and national interest in the problem of human trafficking. And as the
current economic recession shows us, what is happening to labor in Asia or anywhere in the world affects us in the U.S. It isn’t just a developing country problem
anymore.
forced labor situation and they are creating the sweaters that are sold for $4, then people in legitimate businesses who can only afford to sell those sweaters for
$28 can’t do so,” Rowe said. “Who is going to spend an additional $24 per sweater if they are not aware that people’s lives have been put at risk making that $4
sweater? Legitimate business is at risk. But the bigger problem is that human rights across the globe are at risk. You don’t know how many countries something
has been through in the process before it gets to the U.S. And because of the free trade agreements and the flattening of our global economy, none of us are
immune from human rights violations anywhere.”
As an international company based in Milwaukee with 2007 sales of $21.5 million and operating in 80 countries, Manpower is trying to leverage its position
to have a positive impact on the forced labor situation. “Manpower — because we are an employment services company and our aim is to help people all over
the globe find meaningful work — realized that one of the ways we could contribute by using our expertise is to help populations of people whose situations are
such is they end up in forced labor situations,” Rowe said. “If we can raise the economic standards in a place where people are victims of human trafficking,
those people won’t be victimized anymore. And if we can do that using our four competencies, then there is no excuse not to. We absolutely have to do that or
we’re an irresponsible global citizen. If as a corporation, you’ve decided to have your manufacturing in a place where there is a significant risk of human
trafficking and forced labor, it’s that much more incumbent on you to make sure that you are doing the right thing for the people of those countries. In fact, the
best way Manpower can help is not by people in the U.S. doing something, but by our local office in all of these localities making sure we are abiding by the
rules and we are ensuring that our suppliers in those areas are abiding by the rules. You can’t play if you aren’t there.”
Manpower has a zero tolerance policy as it relates to human trafficking by its suppliers. But it isn’t a case of cutting them off if a violation is found out.
Rather, Manpower will work with a supplier — to a point — to correct the situation.
Rowe and Manpower realize that there is little they can accomplish on their own. As they ensure that they are not directly or indirectly involved in forced
labor situations, Manpower is committed to working with the global community. “This will never be a problem that we can combat until we come together has a
globe to combat it,” Rowe emphasized. “Manpower is expending resources to do what we can. But we can only be successful in conjunction with other
organizations, corporations, citizens, governments, multilateral and NGOs around the world to make this a priority. And the more people know about it, the more
likely it will become a priority.”
Rowe hopes this kind of impact in small groups will lead to a greater community and national interest in the problem of human trafficking. And as the
current economic recession shows us, what is happening to labor in Asia or anywhere in the world affects us in the U.S. It isn’t just a developing country problem
anymore.
By Jonathan Gramling
I can remember in my youth watching news programs about human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
While it was appalling to see mostly women and children in developing countries being worked to the bone for
no compensation, I also remember s sense of relief that it couldn’t happen in Wisconsin and that we were
above that sort of thing.
But as Jennifer Rowe, in charge of special projects for Manpower’s Global Corporate Affairs division,
pointed out at The Economic Summit IV held at the Edgewater Hotel October 22, human trafficking and
slavery have become a global problem as the global economy has evolved. “One of the things that we learned
recently is that half of the revenues from human trafficking and forced labor is in industrialized nations like
ours,” Rowe said during an interview with The Capital City Hues. “Half of the $32 billion being made through
human trafficking is an obscene amount of money that is being made in countries like the U.S. and Canada
and Germany. Some of these places are transit points. So when people are trafficked from Eastern Europe
through Western Europe, funds exchange hands all the way across and money is being made to transport
people.”
But not only is that money being made through the transportation and administration aspects of human
trafficking, but it is also by the labor of people in forced labor situations. “If you aren’t paying your employees,
but you are asking them to work in the kitchen of your restaurant, you are earning a significant amount of
money on someone’s slavery,” Rowe pointed out. “People are threatened with their lives and the lives of their
family members back home. So they don’t feel comfortable reaching out to law enforcement authorities to let
them know that they are in a challenging situation. You can go into a restaurant for years and never know that
the people working there are there against their will.” These conditions have even existed in Madison.
I can remember in my youth watching news programs about human trafficking and modern-day slavery.
While it was appalling to see mostly women and children in developing countries being worked to the bone for
no compensation, I also remember s sense of relief that it couldn’t happen in Wisconsin and that we were
above that sort of thing.
But as Jennifer Rowe, in charge of special projects for Manpower’s Global Corporate Affairs division,
pointed out at The Economic Summit IV held at the Edgewater Hotel October 22, human trafficking and
slavery have become a global problem as the global economy has evolved. “One of the things that we learned
recently is that half of the revenues from human trafficking and forced labor is in industrialized nations like
ours,” Rowe said during an interview with The Capital City Hues. “Half of the $32 billion being made through
human trafficking is an obscene amount of money that is being made in countries like the U.S. and Canada
and Germany. Some of these places are transit points. So when people are trafficked from Eastern Europe
through Western Europe, funds exchange hands all the way across and money is being made to transport
people.”
But not only is that money being made through the transportation and administration aspects of human
trafficking, but it is also by the labor of people in forced labor situations. “If you aren’t paying your employees,
but you are asking them to work in the kitchen of your restaurant, you are earning a significant amount of
money on someone’s slavery,” Rowe pointed out. “People are threatened with their lives and the lives of their
family members back home. So they don’t feel comfortable reaching out to law enforcement authorities to let
them know that they are in a challenging situation. You can go into a restaurant for years and never know that
the people working there are there against their will.” These conditions have even existed in Madison.
