Nelson school girl wins international prize

Tuesday 29 May 2007

A New Zealand high school student has taken away the international prize in a ‘design a postcard’ competition representing what children think about the continued prevalence of child labour around the world.

The entries from more than 10 countries were judged at the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) International Conference in Belgium on May 16 and Julia Ludbrook, a 15 year old student from Waimea College in Nelson topped the rest of the world to take away the winning prize of NZ$1000.

The postcard competition in New Zealand alone returned over 500 entries to Trade Aid shops around the country. The entries had to reflect an understanding of the serious problem of child labour and they allowed space for the entrants to write a personal message to the chocolate manufacturer to whom the postcards will eventually be presented to.

Child labour has been highlighted as a serious problem in the chocolate industry and chocolate manufacturers around the world have rejected calls to ban products known to contain child labour. Continuing in the United States is a lawsuit filed against cocoa giants Nestle, Cargill, and Archer Daniels-Midland for allowing forced child labour to be used on their West African cocoa farms. The lawsuit is on behalf of a group of Malian children who were trafficked from Mali to the Ivory Coast and forced to work 12- to 14-hour days with no pay, little food and sleep, and frequent beatings.

Julia’s message to the chocolate manufacturers demonstrated her understanding of the child labour situation “it is appalling that these young children are working the hours that they are and under the conditions they are working under. It is awful that these children are earning 60 cents while the people who are selling what these children are making, are making an excessive amount of money.”
IFAT Director Stefan Durwael, says that “Julia deserved first place because she showed a thorough understanding of the issue of child labour, and illustrated clearly the difference that fair trade could make to a child whose parents are part of the fair trade process.” The judging of the competition was organised to culminate with the end of Fair Trade Fortnight (April 28 – May 13) which this year had the theme ‘kids need fair trade’; a direct link to the idea that fair trade can protect kids from the different forms of child labour.

When a producer is involved in fair trade, they receive additional benefits in the form of community funds. These funds are reinvested back into the community and are usually spent in education or health. Fair trade producers are therefore able to support their families without child labour and are also more likely to have access to a school to educate their children. As Julia said to the chocolate manufacturers “we all need to do our bit to make sure child labour is not part of our future.”

Julia is being presented with her certificate and cheque at the school’s monthly assembly on June 20th, by which time she may have made a decision about where the cash prize will be best spent. It is earmarked for children’s education in her school or community. 

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