News
Playing Fair with Fair Trade
Posted July 5th 2010
Winnipeg students learn that all children have the right to play.
During World Cup, Winnipeg Students Learn that All Children Have the Right to Play
Winnipeg – As part of their World Cup festivities, students at Arthur Day Middle School are getting a lesson in Fair Play. During a soccer clinic at the school, Physical Education teacher Kyle Kushnier took the opportunity to talk about how child labour is often used in soccer ball manufacturing, and how fair trade is an alternative to that system. The school bought fair trade sports balls in May for use in its Physical Education classes.
Currently, 75% of the world’s soccer balls are made in Pakistan. It is estimated that 15,000 children in the country are working in soccer ball factories or stitching the balls from home. Children as young as four are employed because their small fingers are better able to stitch the 690 stitches required to make each soccer ball. Even some manufacturers who claim use ‘No Child Labour’ are paying adult workers so little that they must enlist the full-time help of their children just to make ends meet. Because this work in done in the home, the child labour is less visible.
“The only way to ensure child labour has not been used is to buy fair trade sports balls,” says Janice Hamilton, Executive Director of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation. “When you buy a fair trade ball, it means that adult workers are being paid enough to support their families and don’t need to enlist the help of their children. These children are then able to go to school and have time to play.”
Kyle Kushnier of Arthur Day Middle School says the World Cup provided the perfect opportunity to highlight these issues with his students. “In Canada, kids are able to have free time and play sports,” he says. “We decided to buy fair trade sports balls for our school because kids all over the world deserve this same right.”
Kushnier ran the soccer clinic with his students on the morning of June 21 with fair trade soccer balls ordered through MCIC. The soccer balls were manufactured by Talon Sports, which specializes in fair trade.
“Fair trade is more than just coffee and chocolate. This is another way to help kids relate to fair trade issues and bring it into their everyday lives,” says Kushnier.
Fair trade sports balls are offered at a comparable price to everyday, name brand balls. In addition to soccer balls, there are also basketballs, footballs, rugby balls, volleyballs and beach volleyballs available. Those interested can contact MCIC.
