Témoignages

Ethiopia : Rising to the top of the footwear industry through Decent Work

2015-02-26T11:01:55Z

As we approach International Women's Day, ILO News talks to Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, a young Ethiopian entrepreneur who created one of the world's fastest growing footwear brands by betting on Decent Work

“It was pretty basic. We self-financed. Five workers plus myself working inside a workshop situated on my grandmother's plot of land inside our village of Zenabwork,” recalls Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, now CEO and managing director of soleRebels, one of the first global footwear brands to emerge from a developing country.

“Right from the start of 2004, we aimed to create, grow and control a world class footwear brand that would bring even more jobs and prosperity for the workers by leveraging the artisan skills of our community.”

Alemu, 34, was born and raised in Addis Ababa's impoverished and marginalized Zenabwork area. Her mother and father, who worked as a cook and an electrician, respectively, had a huge influence on this woman who has recently become a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a UN Goodwill Ambassador for Entrepreneurship.

Today, the eco-sensitive company she runs sells shoes through numerous retail outlets across Europe and Asia, and employs more than 100 workers locally who are paid over three to five times the local industry average.

“There are people who started with us earning a modest training salary of about ETB 900 (US$ 45) and now earn more than a (medical) doctor,” she told ILO News.

The company has 18 stores around the world, including in Silicon Valley (USA), Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Austria, Greece, Spain and Switzerland, along with an aggressive e-commerce marketing strategy. It expects to open another 50 to 60 stores in next 18 to 36 months.

Creating jobs, empowering communities

Before starting her business, Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu – also known as “BTA”— went to college at Unity University in Addis Ababa and worked with various companies in the leather and apparel sector. “This gave me a good knowledge of the industry, which was extremely useful in terms of setting up the company and making it grow,” she said.

But after working in the private sector for a while, she developed a strong desire to focus her business skills on her community.

“I knew that there were so many talented people out there who could do great things if only given a chance. However, due to extreme poverty, stigma, and marginalization,…many of them could not even get simple jobs. This was devastating for me, as I had grown up with them. They were my neighbours, my family members.”

“That's why we have always said that this company is about maximizing local talent and local resources to create good paying jobs, that in turn would create extraordinary footwear,” she added.

Footwear platform

Named one of the top 12 women entrepreneurs of the last century by CNN, Alemu knew that the initial designs of the shoes (inspired by the selate/barbasso sandals worn by Ethiopian soldiers against the colonial occupation) needed to take advantage of the creative platform of the footwear industry.

The shoes are made of non-traditional materials, such as recycled tires, organic cotton, jute and hemp. And they are handmade through a low-tech, zero-carbon production process.

Moreover, the company sustainability policy extends beyond its products to its workers and the entire production process. The company is now the world's number one footwear brand to be fair-trade certified by the World Fair Trade Organization (a designation that certifies the sustainability of a company's entire operation — not just its products).

Between 2007 and 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) supported the Ethiopian Women Exporters Association, of which BTA is part of the senior management team. The support consisted of several training sessions on issues such as business management (using the ILO Gender and Entrepreneurship Together/GET Ahead tool), exhibition and fair skills (using the “Improve Your Exhibiting Skills” tool) and the development of strategic plans for the Association.

Produce locally, sell globally

“I wanted to show that it is possible to be a local person, in Ethiopia and in Africa, and to be globally successful,” she said. “It is possible to deploy local resources while creating a market-leading global brand, and to do it all from scratch.”

The construction of a state-of-the-art eco-friendly production facility has already begun. Last week BTA welcomed HRH Princess Mary of Denmark at the building site, where she had the chance to witness the impact of the new facility on job creation and cultural preservation.

“This will be the most innovative and unique production facility of its kind in this country, and I believe anywhere,” said BTA, who now also sits on the board of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

The production facility will include a showroom for buyers with a focus on the eco-sensible artisan production methods of Ethiopia. This facility is expected to create thousands of new well-paid jobs while “preserving, promoting and keeping indigenous artisan crafts relevant in the production process,” said BTA.

She also believes that her success story can inspire a whole new generation of young entrepreneurs in Africa.
“If we want to have truly equitable societies, then we need to embrace equity on all levels. And that means women's economic empowerment and the key to that is women entrepreneurs,” she concluded.

The Right to Leave One's Country Should Be Applied Without Discrimination

2011-11-22T06:21:25Z

Strong measures have been taken by the Macedonian authorities to prevent citizens from travelling to EU countries - and seeking asylum there. The numbers doing so have gone up considerably since the EU agreed that people in Balkan countries would no longer require visas to enter EU territory. Governments within the EU have reacted and warned that the entire process of visa liberalisation might now be in jeopardy, said Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights

In response the government in “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” has decided to criminalise “abuse of the European Union visa-free regime and of the Schengen agreement”. It has also determined that those who have been forcibly returned as failed asylum seekers could have their passports temporarily confiscated.

Other countries in the region have also taken steps to prevent certain people from travelling to EU countries. Those who seek to leave for the EU area are asked to justify the purpose of their intended travel and to prove that they can finance their stay there as well as their return. If the answers are deemed unsatisfactory the travel may not be allowed.

In the present anti-migrant climate, it should not come as a surprise that EU countries have reacted to the increase in asylum requests. In 2010 – the first year after the visa liberalisation - Sweden received 7,900 applications from persons coming from Serbia while Germany and France received 6,500 and 5,800 respectively. So far this year the numbers are lower. Almost all decisions on these applications have been negative.

This is the background to the pressure exerted on the countries of origin – and to their response. However, the concrete measures taken do raise some serious problems.

Right to leave

Though states have a legitimate authority to regulate immigration, the right of the individual to leave his or her country is an established human right. This right was guaranteed already in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own”, is the formulation used in the European Convention on Human Rights (Protocol 4, Article 2). This right is also protected in the constitutions of states in the Balkans.

Even if no formal ban on leaving has been decided, the exit procedures now being introduced and the risk of penalties on return may in reality have such an effect.

Significantly, it is the minorities, and in particular the Roma, who have become targeted. Everyone cannot be checked on exit and the selection is being done on the basis of “profiling”. The result is another layer of discrimination against this minority.

This is further amplified by the notion in public discourse that the visa-exempt status may be withdrawn because of the movement of Roma people. In other words, they are scapegoated again.

The pressure from the European Union has been justified by references to the need to stop networks of organised migrant smuggling. It is certainly important to put an end to exploitation and manipulation by smugglers. However, such practices appear not to be the typical pattern in this case.

Tackle the root causes – not only the symptoms

Many of those who have moved and sought asylum within the EU have done so on their own initiative and because of a genuine experience of physical and/or economic insecurity. They have wanted to get away from injustices and/or poverty and abject misery. The fact that the Roma are overrepresented in this category only reflects their real situation in the region.

The increase in asylum applications in some countries is a symptom rather than the core problem. It represents another sign that Europe has failed to break the cycle of anti-Gypsyism, discrimination and marginalisation of Roma populations. It should be seen as a reminder that serious action is overdue.

It is obvious that even if and when the necessary political will for effective action for minority rights is mobilised, it will take considerable time before the root causes of these problems are eradicated and Roma families no longer feel the urge to seek a future abroad.

In the meantime, any discriminatory treatment of the Roma must be avoided by the destination countries. Seeking asylum is a human right and those who have grounds for protection status should be granted such status. Others will have to accept a negative decision.

Measures such as improved dissemination of information about the asylum rules in the Schengen area would be constructive. However, pressure on Balkan governments to undermine the human right of their citizens to leave their country is not.

Shell's Environmental Policy: Let Them Die, These Are Just Negroes ?

2011-11-16T09:58:51Z

Since 2008, condemned to clean his gigantic oil spills in the Niger Delta, Shell procrastinate in complete violation of basic human rights. An Amnesty International report Here are some excerpts:

Shell must commit to pay an initial US$1 billion to begin the clean-up of pollution caused by oil spills in the Niger Delta, Amnesty International and the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) said today.

A new report by the two groups released today, The true tragedy: delays and failures in tackling oil spills in the Niger Delta looks at the ongoing devastation caused by two major oil spills which took place at Bodo, Ogoniland, in 2008, and which have never been cleaned up.

The UN Environment Programme recently found that oil pollution over many years had resulted in such devastation that it would take more than 25 years for Ogoniland to recover. The UN recommended setting up an Environmental Restoration Fund with an initial amount of US$1 billion, with further funding to follow.

A disaster

“Shell's failure to promptly stop and clean up oil spills in Bodo has devastated the lives of tens of thousands of people. Bodo is a disaster that should not have happened, yet it is one that due to Shell's inaction continues to this day. It is time this multi-billion dollar company owns up, cleans up and pays up,” said Aster van Kregten Amnesty International's researcher for Nigeria.

In 2008, two consecutive spills, caused by faults in a pipeline, resulted in thousands of barrels of oil polluting the land and creek surrounding Bodo, a town of some 69,000 people. Both spills continued for weeks before they were stopped. No proper clean up has ever taken place.

“The situation in Bodo is symptomatic of the wider situation in the Niger Delta oil industry. The authorities simply do not control the oil companies. Shell and other oil companies have the freedom to act – or fail to act - without fear of sanction. An independent, robust and well-resourced regulator is long overdue, otherwise even more people will continue to suffer at the hands of the oil companies,” said Patrick Naagbanton, CEHRD's Coordiantor.

Profits of US$ 7.2bn for July-September

Shell, which recently reported profits of US$ 7.2bn for July-September, initially offered the Bodo community just 50 bags of rice, beans, sugar and tomatoes as relief for the disaster.

Ongoing damage to fisheries and farmland has resulted in food shortages and higher prices in Bodo. Residents told Amnesty International and CEHRD how they struggle to make a living and have serious health concerns. Alternative jobs are not easy to find. Many young people have been forced to look for work in Port Harcourt, the state capital, 50km away.

One fisherman from Bodo, said: ‘Before the spill, life was easy. The people could live from the catch of fish… After the spill, everything was destroyed.'

When Amnesty International asked Shell to comment on the failures at Bodo, the company stated that, as the Bodo spill spills were subject to legal proceedings in the UK, it was unable to respond as directly. Shell said that efforts to address the issues at Bodo are hampered by ongoing sabotage in the area, something strongly challenged by Amnesty International and CEHRD.

There can be no excuses

“Shell frequently says that most oil spills are caused by sabotage,” said Aster van Kregten, “This claim has been strongly disputed by the communities and NGOs who point out that the process of collecting data on oil spills is flawed. Even at Bodo, where it is accepted the spills are Shell's fault, the company appears to be using sabotage as an excuse for its failures to comply with Nigerian law and regulations – which require the company to promptly clean up and pay compensation. This is a completely untenable position.”

“The facts here are simple,” adds Patrick Naagbanton. “Two spills, both of them the company's fault, both left to flow for weeks before being stopped, neither cleaned up although three years have passed. There can be no excuses. By any standard, this is a corporate failure.”

No independent capacity to identify oil spills

Nigeria's government agencies are also strongly criticized in the report for their failure to enforce regulations. The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources - which is responsible for ensuring the oil industry complies with regulation - is also charged with promoting the oil industry and ensuring maximum revenues.

The Nigerian government agency responsible for oils spills - the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) - is under-resourced and ineffective. The agency has no independent capacity to identify oil spills and is dependent on being notified by the oil company responsible or by the affected community.

The recent UN Environment Programme report noted that in responding to oil spills, “government agencies are at the mercy of oil companies when it comes to conducting site inspections.”

NOSDRA repeatedly failed to enforce standards in the case of the Bodo spills.

Two spills

On 28 August 2008, a fault in the Trans-Niger pipeline caused a major oil spill in Bodo. The oil poured into the swamp for at least four weeks – probably for as long as ten. Shell has recorded that 1,640 barrels of oil were spilt; however, an independent estimate suggests that as much as 4,000 barrels a day were leaking from the pipe. The spill was eventually stopped on 7 November 2008.

On 7 December 2008, a second spill occurred in Bodo, also due to equipment failure. This spill was reported to Shell on 9 December. It was ten weeks later before the spill was stopped.

After trying for years to secure clean up and proper compensation from Shell, the Bodo community took their fight for justice to the UK courts earlier this year. The court action is ongoing, but has brought a measure of hope that the situation at Bodo may be resolved.

6,800 spills were recorded between 1976 and 2001

According to the UN Development Program (UNDP), more than 60 per cent of the people in the region depend on the natural environment for their livelihood.

According to UNDP, more than 6,800 spills were recorded between 1976 and 2001, with a loss of approximately 3 million barrels of oil. Many experts believe that due to under-reporting the true figures may be far higher.

When asked to comment on the issues raised by the report, NOSDRA also responded with limited information. Nigeria's Department of Petroleum Resources did not respond at all.

The Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) is a rural-based and rural-focused non-profit organization founded by conservationists, environmentalists, activists, and health workers in the Niger Delta. CEHRD was formed to respond to the environmental, human rights, rural health, and underdevelopment problems plaguing the Niger Delta.

New York Mayor Bloomberg Clears Out Occupy Wall Street

2011-11-16T09:11:50Z

New York's mayor Tuesday defended the pre-dawn clearing of the Occupy Wall Street encampment, saying ‘inaction was not an option' as the nearly 2-month-old set-up became packed with tents and concerns grew that fires and other hazards could erupt. Police in riot gear moved into Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan shortly after officers handed out notices to protesters at about 1 a.m. warning them the park was about to be cleared. It said residents could return after a clean-up but that they would no longer be permitted to set up tents, bring in sleeping bags, or camp there 24/7.

Update: New York Supreme Court Justice Michael Stallman denied a motion by protesters to be allowed back into Zuccotti Park with their gear and tents. He also did not extend a temporary restraining order issued by Justice Lucy Billings, which would have allowed protesters to maintain their encampment and property in Zuccotti Park.

Editor's note: In response to the sudden eviction of Occupy Wall Street at Zuccotti Park, Justice Lucy Billings issued a temporary restraining order against mayor Bloomberg which required reopening the park and allowing tents. The mayor denies being served the restraining order and says he will keep the park closed.

"Protesters have had two months to occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to occupy the space with the power of their arguments," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement, promising that the privately owned park would reopen later Tuesday. Police said they had cleared it by about 4:30 a.m.

Throughout the night, a police helicopter could be heard thundering above the area. Live video showed some protesters pulling down their own tents and leaving, but it also showed police dumping tents and other belongings into a huge pile to be taken away. Protesters were told they could retrieve their belongings later.

Bloomberg said the city acted in coordination with Brookfield Properties, which owns Zuccotti Park and which until Tuesday had let protesters remain there. "At Brookfield's request, members of the NYPD and Sanitation Department assisted in removing any remaining tents and sleeping bags. This action was taken at this time of day to reduce the risk of confrontation in the park, and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood," Bloomberg said.

Journalists Detained in Occupy Wall Street Raid

2011-11-16T08:44:23Z

Journalists at the overnight raid of Occupy Wall Street's New York encampment were kept at a distance from covering it Tuesday, and several were arrested, handcuffed and hauled onto police buses along with hundreds of protesters.

At least half a dozen journalists were among those arrested in and around Zuccotti Park and at other protest sites in downtown Manhattan, according to demonstrators and other journalists who photographed and filmed their peers being taken into custody.

Reporter Karen Matthews and photographer Seth Wenig of The Associated Press in New York were detained for about four hours after they followed protesters through an opening in a chain-link fence into a separate park owned by a church. Matthew Lysiak of the Daily News of New York was also arrested, according to witnesses and the Daily News. The police, who arrested 22 people at the church-owned park, said the reporters and protesters were trespassing on private property.

Multiple arrests

Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the New York Police Department's policy of keeping the media back, saying it was intended to keep them out of harm's way.

"The police department routinely keeps members of the press off to the side when they're in the middle of a police action. It's to prevent the situation from getting worse and it's to protect the members of the press," the mayor said.

But journalists said the multiple arrests, which followed the detention of two journalists Sunday handcuffed at a protest in Chapel Hill, N.C., were unusual even for the most chaotic press events. Media organizations and city officials said the behavior was troubling, and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said the council would look into "reports of excessive force by the NYPD and reports of infringement of the rights of the press."

"American foreign correspondents routinely put themselves in harm's way to do their jobs, in some of the most brutal dictatorships in the world. And their NYC colleagues deserve the freedom to make the same choice," Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said.

Julie Walker, a freelance radio journalist, told the AP she was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge while walking several blocks north of Zuccotti Park after covering the raid. She said an officer grabbed her arm twice and arrested her after she asked for the officer's name and badge number.

"I told them I'm a reporter," said Walker, who was working for National Public Radio. "I had my recorder on before he ripped it out of my hand."

"I said, 'You're arresting the media?'"

Journalists who arrived on the outskirts of Zuccotti Park as riot police evicted protesters said they were kept from standing in one place to watch the events and some, including an AP videojournalist, said they were kept several blocks from the site. Journalists wearing press passes were kept on the sidewalks and away from the park, along with the protesters, several said.

The NYPD didn't immediately respond to a request for comment outlining its policies toward journalists and couldn't immediately say how many journalists were arrested.

Deputy NYPD Inspector Kim Royster said that four journalists were among those arrested at the church-owned park and that protesters clipped a chain-link fence to get in. "It was private property and there was signage that said no trespassing," Royster said.

A protester at the site confirmed the account, saying protesters tore a hole in a chain-link fence to get into the park after the Zuccotti encampment was cleared.

"They had hardware. There was a chunk of wood keeping it together along with a chain and they used hardware to remove all of it," protester April Kidwell said.

Matthews, of the AP, said she went through the fence to cover police interaction with protesters after seeing both private security guards and police inside. When she tried to leave the area, she was told she was under arrest.

"I said, 'You're arresting the media?'" she said. "They said, 'The media doesn't get to trespass.'"

The arrests of Matthews, Wenig and Lysiak were voided, and they were released a few hours after they were detained.

"The police put me in handcuffs"

"Journalists should not be restricted from access to news events or detained for attempting to do their jobs," said Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor for the AP. "We were unhappy that two of our staff members were swept up in the police operation, but we appreciate the NYPD's decision to release them."

Doug Higginbotham, a freelance video journalist working for TV New Zealand, said he was arrested late Tuesday morning after protesters tried to re-enter Zuccotti Park. Higginbotham said he was standing on top of a phone booth to film and was told to get down.

"The police just pulled me off, put me in handcuffs, slapped me against the truck. They took my press ID off me," said Higginbotham, who has worked a decade in New York.

"Ten years. Never been arrested. I covered 9/11. I covered DSK (Dominique Strauss-Kahn)."

Associated Press writers Verena Dobnik, Samantha Gross and Amy Westfeldt contributed to this report .

Occupy Movement is Spreading and Growing

2011-11-14T04:15:08Z

“Now it's everywhere: Hundreds of towns like Occupy Orlando and Chicago and Portland and Nashville and Asheville and Oakland and even little towns like Redwood City.” Dave Johnson

Our captured government won't do its job. It doesn't keep Wall Street and banks and giant corporations from ripping us off and doesn't prosecute them after they do. It doesn't stop polluters - even as the effects of climate change increase. It doesn't enforce employment and labor laws, so all of us who work fall further and further behind. It doesn't take care of those in need even as more and more of us are in greater and greater need. It just helps the connected rich get richer. So people finally got fed up, and started "occupying." Now the occupy movement is spreading to more and more cities, growing with more and more people, and expanding people's understanding of the power that comes from speaking out.

It started with Occupy Wall Street, people rising up over the greed and inequality, the1% vs 99%. Labor joined, adding their voice and grievances. Veterans, teachers and others are showing up in greater and greater numbers now. Others are joining. Now it's everywhere: Hundreds of towns like Occupy Orlando and Chicago and Portland and Nashville and Asheville and Oakland and even little towns like Redwood City.

People are getting arrested as the powers-that-be react to the spreading and growing crowds. According to Chris Bowers at Daily Kos,

Arrests in Chicago, New York City, Fresno, Eureka, Denver, Portland, Boston, Seattle, Oakland, Ashville, Riverside and more cities over the weekend has brought the total number of arrests of Occupy protesters over 3,350.

«The Occupiers Need Essential Food and Supplies!»

2011-11-12T03:31:00Z

Since several months, the protest continues. In the northern hemisphere, they enter the coldest months of the year. Nation of Change calls for solidarity.

«Dear Readers,

As we enter the coldest months of the year, many of the occupiers across our country are battling freezing cold temperatures to stay safe, warm, and active for the cause.

NationofChange has set out to raise $10,000 to purchase critical food and warmth supplies for protesters in New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Denver, and Chicago. We are off to a great start but we need your support now, in order to meet our goal by the end of tomorrow.

We will put 100% of our goal amount raised towards the purchase of prepared food, zero-degree blankets and sleeping bags, camp cots, tarps, men's and women's underwear, rubber boots, wool socks and other essentials.

Help us support these heroes who are making personal sacrifices for our future. Donate generously today:

Please click here to make a secure tax-deductible donation or call in your donation at 1-800-803-6045. You can also mail a check to: 6319 Dante Ln NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114

To learn more about the impact of NationofChange's most recent supplies fundraiser, click here.

Thank you for all that you do.

Respectfully Yours,
Rebecca Buell, Executive Director,

Donna Luca, Board President, and the NationofChange Team»

Occupy Oakland Reacts to Violence

2011-11-12T03:09:00Z

“Following the incident, the scene in Ogawa Plaza was somber as dozens of media members clambered about.”
BY ERYN BROWN

Nov. 10 marked the one-month anniversary of Occupy Oakland - the political, social, and economic protest and encampment against corporate greed, social inequality and police brutality, which took over Frank Ogawa Plaza, in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.

But instead of a planned birthday celebration, the Occupy camp turned into a somber vigil, after a late-afternoon outbreak of violence turned deadly, resulting in a fight that led to the shooting of a young man just outside the encampment, on the steps of Frank Ogawa Plaza at just before 5 p.m. Thursday.

The victim later died from his injuries, interim Police Chief Howard Jordan confirmed in a press conference.

“This afternoon, we received a call of gunshots, several gunshots,” Jordan said. “When the officers arrived, they found a young man who was later determined to have died from gunshot injuries.”

The name of the victim has not yet been released - pending notification of family - however, it has been reported that the young man stayed a few nights at the encampment and the name "Alex" appears several times on the makeshift memorial to the young man.

The shooting was precipitated by a fight between a group of African-American males, Jordan said.

"During the fight, someone pulls out a gun and fires several rounds into the crowd, striking the victim who subsequently died from his injuries at Highland Hospital,” he added.

Police don't know who the suspect is, and do not have anyone in custody. The gun has not been recovered. Anyone with information is urged to email OPD at opdmedia@oaklandnet.com. There were “reports that several citizens from [the] Occupy Oakland movement tried to break up the fight,” Jordan added.

Just then, spectators in the crowd started chanting, “turn the lights on” – a reference to the fact that the lights at Ogawa Plaza have been dark for days, ostensibly due to broken circuit breakers.