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Article

21 Sep 2011

Author:
Andrew Martin, New York Times

Slavery Becomes a Personal Question Online

Do you know how many slaves work on your behalf? While many people may assume the answer to that provocative and unsettling question is zero, the creators of a new Web site want to demonstrate how forced labor, especially overseas, is tantamount to slavery. A nonprofit group, with funding from the State Department...unveil the new site, www.slaveryfootprint.org...in an effort to show that forced laborers are tied to all kinds of everyday products, from electronics and jewelry to the shirt on your back...they hope to get consumers engaged enough in the issue to do something about it...Slavery Footprint defines a slave as “anyone who is forced to work without pay, being economically exploited and is unable to walk away.”...The site was created by the Fair Trade Fund...Some business groups opposed the measure, saying it unfairly tagged companies for “failing” on an issue they were powerless to change. [refers to Facebook]