Arfin,
Jasmine's haunting, beautiful scent graces many fragrances around the world, showing up in incense, candles, and perfumes. And almost all of it traces back to one small village in Egypt, where upwards of 60% of the world's jasmine is grown and harvested.
And a significant amount of that jasmine is picked by extremely young children — some as young as 5 years old, starting as early as 3am on a given day.
But that hasn't stopped major international corporations, including Estée Lauder and L'Oréal from using this child labor-fueled jasmine. In fact, those companies have made it so that child labor is an absolute necessity because they set such low farm wages, families don't have any choice but to include their children in their work. Then, L'Oréal and Estée Lauder go on to sell those perfumes at high prices, earning them ballooning profits.
It's important to note that both L'Oréal and Estée Lauder are breaking the law by utilizing crops grown and harvested using child labor. On top of that, children working in the jasmine fields often suffer from injuries and medical conditions, including from exposure to dangerous pesticides. Some of the pesticides and fertilizers used in these fields are so hazardous, they're outright illegal!
Study after study after study has shown that children's vulnerable developing minds can be severely impacted by exhaustion from work and exposure to chemicals. It can cause organ damage, cancer, problems with cognitive and social development, and trouble in school. Those consequences can haunt a person, following them for the rest of their entire lives.
L'Oréal and Estée Lauder must pay agricultural workers a living wage and stop the use of child labor now! Sign the petition! |
No comments:
Post a Comment