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児童労働撲滅に奮闘する企業
Firm seeks to boot out child labor
The Japan Times, May 2, 2002
Children around the globe dream of someday playing in the World Cup, but few people know that thousands of them spend their days making soccer balls to help feed their families, unable to go to school or enjoy the game.
With the World Cup soccer finals, cohosted by Japan and South Korea, set to kick off on May 31, a company in Tokyo has begun selling what it boasts as "fair-trade soccer balls" to raise public awareness of the issue.
The soccer balls are produced by a manufacturer in Pakistan that only employs adults.
The workers are given a fair wage and welfare support, unlike a number of other adults and children in the industry in Pakistan who work for low wages and under severe conditions, without any welfare assistance, according to Joher Anjari of Fair Trade Co., located in Jiyugaoka in Meguro Ward, Tokyo.
"Poverty is the biggest reason children are exploited in the industry," Anjari said. "If their families earn enough money to live on, their children won't have to work and can go to school."
In Pakistan, 15,000 children were engaged in the production of soccer balls in 2001, according to the International Labor Organization.
High-quality soccer balls are hand-made by stitching together patches of artificial leather, Anjari explained, noting that India and Pakistan are the world's main producers.
Most of the workers are exploited, he said, noting that an adult male who makes soccer balls in India earns 20 rupees — about ¥56 — a day, or one-third of the minimum wage required by law.
Fair Trade Co. has its roots in Global Village, a nongovernmental organization set up 10 years ago. The NGO has promoted the "fair-trade" ideal, through which it supports small-scale producers in developing countries by selling goods that are made in an environmentally friendly manner.
The organization also tries to raise public awareness of the environment and human rights-related issues through its activities.
The NGO's business arm was transformed into Fair Trade Co. five years ago, and the firm now imports more than 1,000 commodities from 20 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The goods include clothes made of organic cotton, accessories, stationery and organic food.
This year, Fair Trade Co. decided to import soccer balls made by Talon Sports in Sialkot, Pakistan, to raise awareness of the child-labor issue and to help improve working conditions for adults at the firm.
"It may be good to say 'don't buy footballs,' " Anjari said. "But what will people do then? They'll just stop buying footballs? How are they going to play football? It is very important to give them an option."
Anjari said that Fair Trade Co. pays $2 more per ball to Talon Sports, in addition to the normal price of the balls.
The manufacturer can thus pay its workers fairer wages, while additional resources are also used to provide employees with welfare assistance and low-interest loans.
Making soccer balls is a tiring job, as workers have to bend over the balls for a long time while stitching together the hard, artificial leather patches.
"Back problems are the most common maladies, and eyesight problems are also serious because they have to stitch at night as well," Anjari said.
Although stitchers usually do not have access to company health-care programs, all the workers at Talon Sport are provided health care thanks to the welfare assistance, he said.
The additional resources are also used to provide the stitchers with low-interest loans, through which family members can set up small businesses. As their parents earn sufficient income, the children of Talon workers can go to school, Anjari said.
Last year, the soccer ball manufacturer produced about 45,000 balls, most of which were exported to Europe.
Fair Trade Co. introduced the "fair-trade ball" in Japan in early April, priced at ¥5,500. The firm said this price is reasonable when compared with other brand-name soccer balls. Prices are kept down by limiting advertising spending.
The company is asking sporting goods stores in Japan to sell its balls, but this is not an easy gambit because most shops usually sell specific-brand goods, Anjari said.
"One thing we would like to ask big manufacturers is why are other balls made in such circumstances?" he said.
Global Village has supported Global March, an international NGO network working against child labor.
The Federation of International Football Associations mapped out regulations in 1996 that prohibit the use of child labor by all companies involved in the production of FIFA goods. The rules took effect sometime later but have not been followed, the network said.
Global March is currently compiling a petition to submit to FIFA to demand that it provide evidence that no children are employed in the soccer manufacturing industry.
Shukan ST: June 8, 2004
(C) All rights reserved
- around the globe
- 世界中の
- dream of someday playing in the World Cup
- いつの日か(サッカーの)ワールドカップに出場することを夢見る
- spend their days
- 毎日を過ごす
- to help feed their families
- 家族を養っていく手助けをして
- cohosted
- 共同開催の
- set to kick off on May 31
- 5月31日に開幕する
- boasts
- 自慢する、誇りに思う
- "fair-trade soccer balls"
- 「フェアトレード・サッカーボール」
- raise public awareness of the issue
- (児童労働の)問題に関する社会的関心を高める
- produced by a manufacturer in Pakistan
- パキスタンにある製造業者で作られている
- only employs adults
- 成人のみを雇っている
- fair wage
- 正当な賃金
- welfare support
- 福利厚生
- unlike a number of other adults and children in the industry in Pakistan
- パキスタンの産業で働くほかの成人や子供たちと違って
- under severe conditions
- 過酷な労働条件の下で
- Fair Trade Co.,
- フェアトレードカンパニー
- located in 〜
- 〜にある
- Poverty
- 貧困
- the biggest reason children are exploited
- 子供たちが産業で利用される主な理由
- earn enough money to live on
- 生活するために十分なお金を稼ぐ
- engaged in the production of soccer balls
- サッカーボールの製造に関わっていた
- International Labor Organization
- 国際労働機関
- High-quality soccer balls
- 良質のサッカーボール
- hand-made
- 手作り
- stitching together patches of artificial leather
- 人口の革切れを縫い合わせる
- world's main producers
- 世界で主要な製造国
- earns 20 rupees — about ¥56 — a day
- 一日で20ルピー、約56円、稼ぐ
- one-third of the minimum wage required by law
- 法律で定められた最低賃金の約三分の一の額
- has its roots in 〜
- ルーツは〜にある
- nongovernmental organization
- 非政府組織
- set up
- 設立された
- has promoted the "fair-trade" ideal
- 「フェアトレード」の概念を広める
- small-scale producers in developing countries
- 発展途上国内の小規模製造業者
- an environmentally friendly manner
- 環境に負荷をかけないやり方
- environment and human rights-related issues
- 環境や、人権に関する問題
- through its activities
- 活動を通じて
- business arm
- 商業部門
- imports
- 輸入する
- commodities
- 商品
- clothes made of organic cotton
- 有機栽培で育てた綿で作った服
- to raise awareness of the child-labor issue
- 児童労働に関する社会的関心を高めるため
- to help improve working conditions
- 労働条件改善の手助けをするため
- firm
- 会社、工場
- may be good to say 〜
- 〜と言えばいいことかもしれない
- stop buying footballs
- サッカーボールを買うのをやめる
- to give them an option
- 選択権を与える
- pays $2 more per ball
- ボール一つにつき2ドル多く払う
- in addition to the normal price of the balls
- 通常のボールの額よりさらに
- thus
- したがって
- pay its workers fairer wages
- 従業員に、より正当な賃金を支払う
- while additional resources are also used to provide employees with welfare assistance and low-interest loans
- と同時に福利厚生や低金利のローンなどにも資金を利用できる
- tiring job
- 骨の折れる仕事
- have to bend over the balls for a long time
- 長時間体を曲げた状態でいないといけない
- Back
- 背中
- the most common maladies
- 最も多い病気
- eyesight
- 視力
- have to stitch at night as well
- 暗い夜も縫い続けないといけない
- stitchers
- 労働者たち
- do not have access to company health-care programs
- 会社が運営する健康管理プログラムを利用できない
- are provided health care
- 健康管理のサービスを受けられる
- thanks to 〜
- 〜のおかげ
- family members can set up small businesses
- 家族が事業を立ち上げることができる
- As their parents earn sufficient income
- 親が十分な収入を得ることが出来るので
- most of which were exported to Europe
- そのほとんどがヨーロッパに輸出された
- introduced
- 売り出した
- reasonable
- 妥当な
- compared with other brand-name soccer balls
- ほかのブランド物のボールと比べて
- limiting advertising spending
- 宣伝費を制限する
- sporting goods stores
- スポーツ用品店
- not an easy gambit
- 難しい計画、戦略
- specific-brand
- 特定のブランドの製品
- made in such circumstances
- そういった環境で作られている
- working against child labor
- 児童労働に反対する活動をしている
- Federation of International Football Associations
- FIFA(国際サッカー連盟)
- mapped out regulations
- 規定を定めた
- prohibit the use of child labor by all companies
- すべての企業において児童労働を禁ずる
- involved in the production of FIFA goods
- FIFAのグッズ製造に関わっている
- took effect
- 実施された
- have not been followed
- 守られていない
- petition
- 嘆願書
- demand
- 要求する
- provide evidence that 〜
- 〜という証拠を示す