Beware, we are watching
General Information
| Topic | Group Size | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Human Rights | 5-8 | Part 1: 45 minutes; Part 2: variable; Part 3: variable. |
Activity Overview
| Overview: | In this activity, participants learn about the social, economic, and environmental costs of a cotton T-shirt. They then go on to plan and implement action to address the entailed human rights violations. Related rights: |
|---|---|
| Themes: | |
| Objectives: | |
| Materials: | |
| Preparation: |
Target Group
The target group is not specified, but the activity is marked with level 3 as complexity, meaning that it is designed to develop deeper understanding and insights into an issue. It demands higher levels of competence in discussion or group work skills.
Instructions
Part 1: Looking at the issues
1. Explain that the group are going to take a closer look at the clothes they buy, and the social, economic and environmental impacts of their choices.
2. Ask people to look at the labels on their T-shirts or sweaters to see where they are made and what they are made of. What did they cost? Make a chart on the flip chart, listing all the countries and prices.
3. Ask if money is the only consideration; then hand out the information sheets "Tracking the true cost of cotton" and "The true cost of one cotton T-shirt" and give participants 5 minutes to read them.
4. Then go on to brainstorm the issues that the information raises, for instance, labour rights including child labour, the use of resources (water and fuel), damage to the environment by pesticides and other toxins, and the consequences of globalisation.
5. Ask the group how, in the light of this knowledge, they feel about buying T-shirts. What can they do to take action against the violations? Brainstorm their ideas for taking action, for instance, to take more care of their clothes so that they don't wear out so quickly, to buy only fair-trade T-shirts in the future or to launch a campaign in their locality to raise awareness about the issues among their peers. Discuss which ideas they think they might most like to take forward. Let them research for more information and to think about the feasibility of their ideas.
Part 2: Decisions about taking action
6. Let participants review the research, refine their ideas and agree on what sorts of actions to take.
7. Ask them to get into small groups according to the type of action they would like to take and to draft a short, outline proposal which should include:
8. Ask each group to submit their proposals and ask everyone to comment and to make suggestions for improvements.
Part 3: Implementation
Debriefing and Evaluation
After Part 1:
Afte Part 2:
After Part 3:
Tips for facilitators
Be well prepared. Read Simple actions for human rights for a comprehensive overview of ways to take action and how to organize it. Also, read Citizenship and Participation.
You will find information about transnational companies in the background information on Globalisation. Before you start this activity, check if the "Clean Clothes Campaign" or a similar organization has branches in your country.
Inform yourself about the actions that the Clean Clothes Campaign is running and consider using their ready-made tools. It is easier to take action, for instance, to put the CCC's campaign video about sportswear on the group's website or blog, than to make material to raise public awareness yourself. However, one of the objectives of this activity is to stimulate participation and creativity. Thus, you should emphasize that they have complete freedom to "invent" any kind of new campaign strategy.
If you want to put the cost in terms of carbon footprint, then Ecometrica has assessed the carbon footprint of clothes, taking a pack of 3 pairs of underpants as its example. Pants and T-shirts are likely to have a similar emissions profile – although arguably pants should be washed slightly more frequently, but are probably ironed less often! The result is 57 kilograms of CO2 from cradle to grave. Go to ecometrica.co.uk and search for "apparel fact sheet".
Variations
You can develop part 1 of the exercise to encourage people to think more deeply about the true costs; thus:
1. Start by asking participants the prices of their T-shirts and to agree on an average price.
2. Next, ask them to look at their labels to see where the T-shirts come from.
3. Then ask people in small groups to brainstorm a list of all the steps in the production process from growing the cotton to retailing the item in a shop.
4. In plenary, compare the lists and make one common list that summarises the different elements under the general headings of transport, labour costs, energy use, and so on.
5. Next, again in their small groups, ask participants to put a price on each item, for example on growing the cotton, the total labour costs, transport, and so on.
6. In plenary again, discuss the groups' estimates.
7. Finally hand out the information sheet and ask for comments.
Other information
Suggestions for follow-up
Contact the branch of the Clean Clothes Campaign in your country and develop the work the group has started.
You could investigate fair trade issues about sports shoes; the following link gives statistics for the true costs of sports shoes: vetementspropres.be
The group may like to explore the issues and dilemmas relating to corporate social responsibility. For example, many good causes and events receive sponsorship from companies that are responsible for human rights violations. These companies may also be polluting the environment in the process of manufacturing goods. The group may like to discuss some of the issues raised in the following statement by Jeremy Gilley, film maker and founder of Peace One Day: "from Peace One Day's point of view, we could not exist or function without corporate sponsorship. My position is very clear. I feel strongly that in order to influence the supply chain we have to be 'in the room'. It's very difficult, perhaps impossible to find a company whose entire supply chain from top to bottom complies 100% with international human rights/trade law, although of course this is a position which is desirable".
Information relating specifically to this example can be found at peaceoneday.org and
clearingthehurdles.org
If the group wants to explore the right to desirable work and to join trade unions, they could do the activity Ashique's story which looks at the issue of child labour or Trade Union meeting. If the issue of sportswear came up and people want to look at other aspects of human rights relating to sport, you could go on to do the activity Just a minute.
Ideas for action
Continue the work you have started by getting together with other local interest groups and mark World Fair Trade Day. You will find plenty of inspiration from wftday.org.
You can also use the knowledge and experience gained from the work you have just done to campaign about another issue that concerns the group. There are numerous opportunities throughout the year to join with others to raise awareness about other human rights issues, for instance women's rights on International Women's Day, March 8; refugees on June 20 and human rights on December 10. By collaborating with others, you demonstrate your solidarity with all who struggle for human rights, you will make new friends, and you will have fun and learn.
Further information
There are many organisations working for fair production and fair trade. Use your search engine to find the organisations that are working in your locality. The following organisations have partners in many European countries:
Handouts
Handout1
Download Beware we are watching handouts.pdf
Copyright Information
This activity was developed by the Council of Europe as part of COMPASS – Manual for human rights education with young people, 2nd edition, updated in 2020.
No parts of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes in any form or by any means, electronic (CDRom, Internet, etc.) or mechanical including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishing Division (publishing@coe.int), Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe (copy to the European Youth Centre Budapest, 1-3 Zivatar utca, H-1024 Budapest, Hungary; e-mail: eycb.secretariat@coe.int). Reproduction of material from this publication is authorised for non-commercial educational purposes only and on condition that the source is properly quoted.