Happy New Year

It may be over two weeks late, but we would like to wish all our followers a happy, healthy & wealthy 2014!

A lot has been happening at C.R.E.E.R’s base in France and in Cote d’Ivoire.

The founder & Vice President’s daughter (also a member) are due to leave for Cote d’Ivoire under their own financial means in 3 weeks time.  Flying initially into Ouagadougou, they will go south via Ghana doing some research.

Due to the quietness of our promise in Abengourou despite much personal financial input into the trip in March 2013 by the founder, it seems that the promise of land was yet another false hope.  After the promises made in Ayame in January 2011 of a tract of land, the future was looking desolate a few weeks ago, but we will not give up!

There are other leads and ideas to get C.R.E.E.R on the road to starting up in Cote d’Ivoire which sends two of the team southbound.  The idea is to look at other plots of land & establish if they are feasible to be bought; this is a major problem in the country, land is often squabbled over within families & the title deeds never come to fruition.  The board want to be sure that the land that will be built upon won’t be retrieved after a building has been constructed.  In the mean time, our Treasurer is holding onto our funds ready to use them when there’s a green light.

2013 was a long journey, hopes, promises & false promises; it was difficult for the whole team to believe that this would be a reality!  We need support on a worldwide basis.  To help us; we’re doing the right thing, however long it takes.  Rome wasn’t built in a day but then again there are children out there NOW who need help, who have been trafficked.

Moreover, we’ve now also got word of children being trafficked for rubber & teak plantations, the need is forever growing!

Looking forward to keeping in touch with supporters with hopefully good news in early March!

Fair Trade in France & FranceO TV programme

Last night, FranceO ‘Investigatiôns’ screened Miki Mistrati & Ange Aboa’s film «Le Goût amer du chocolat» (“Shady Chocolate” is the English name)

Thankfully we were notified by Miki that it was due to screen and tried to put the word out amongst our followers in France far & wide to gain more interest!

It’s coming up to Christmas, people are out shopping, chocolate is piled high in all the shops … most of the chocolate on offer is the type that we know is coming from ‘unknown’ sources; i.e. you just can’t be sure if trafficked children have been involved with its production.

Interestingly we’ve been looking at ‘Fair Trade’ chocolate here in France.  ‘Chocolat Equitable’ is usually in a bar/tablet form in shops and becoming increasingly popular with many shoppers, despite the premium price.  However, following discussions with friends and colleagues, it seems that they buy it because they know that there’s no involvement of child labour.

We’re very happy with that; people are becoming more & more aware of the cocoa industry!

But when you examine it a little closer, this chocolate does adhere to fair trade because most of it comes from the Dominican Republic or Peru etc.  There’s seems to be very little involvement of sourcing cocoa in West Africa. 

So to skirt around the problem of child trafficking and child labour, they’ve diverted away from Africa to buy cocoa from countries where the situation doesn’t exist (as far as we know).  In the “Shady Chocolate” film last night, Miki went to investigate the fair trade situation in Ghana.

We’re not against fair trade if it’s truly ‘fair’ http://fairreporters.net/2012/11/14/the-fairtrade-rip-off/ , but looking at the bigger picture by companies such as Alter Eco & Kaoka in France.  Are their efforts of sourcing cocoa in places such as Peru, Dominican Republic & Ecuador to name a few, going to go against the cocoa planters in W.Africa who desperately need investment & pricing parity to enable them to invest in their farms & without child labour?

Isn’t it like burying your head in the sand if all fair trade cocoa purchasing is carried out away from the problems we know exist in West Africa?

Click HERE for more information about the film! http://www.shady-chocolate.com

Any chocolate companies reading this; we do have a plan, supporting farmers & assisting C.R.E.E.R who aim to help the victims of trafficking!  Please get in touch …

Aminah is on her way

Aminah is on her way south to us; at 3pm today was south of Orleans heading to us in deepest southern France.  www.overlandingwestafrica.com‘s shiny blue ‘truck’ with her new stickers for the 2013/2014 season .  Our boxes will once again be taken by Aminah ready for our centre in Cote d’Ivoire!  Overlanding West Africa are yet again being generous with a donation from their ticket sales to support our future centre to rehabilitate trafficked children in West Africa!

Aminah with her new flags

And so CNN had to leave …

But not without a great second day with our team in Cote d’Ivoire took CNN Freedom Project Presenter Richard Quest & team to Divo meeting planters en masse, offering them chocolate which many won’t have tasted before as they don’t have the means to pay for it.   Sadly the box the chocolate is in is probably the equivalent to a days salary at most!

C.R.E.E.R’s Secretary PC with CNN Freedom Project’s Richard Quest & cocoa planters in Divo, Cote d’Ivoire

Richard Quest, CNN’s Freedom Project offering chocolates to cocoa planters in Divo; many won’t have tried chocolates & the cost of manufacturing the box is probably a days salary for many!

CNN’s Richard Quest being filmed in Divo by Beau Molloy

Group goodbyes, from L to R: Erick Attiapo, C.R.E.E.R’s Director, Matt, CNN’s Executive Producer, PC, C.R.E.E.R’s Secretary of the Board in Cote d’Ivoire & Beau Molloy, CNN Cameraman

Just before CNN’s Richard Quest flew out of Abidjan, with PC & Erick from C.R.E.E.R either side of him

The trip was a great success for CNN & for C.R.E.E.R to be involved, although CNN Freedom project was following up on child labour in cocoa plantations; what mustn’t be forgotten is that there are children also being trafficked for domestic servitude & prostitution!

CNN have arrived!

We are incredibly proud to have CNN International in Cote d’Ivoire with our team.

C.R.E.E.R’s future Director, Erick with Matt, CNN’s Executive Producer early this morning

It’s been kept a secret for the last two months whilst preparations were underway in London, New York & Cote d’Ivoire to assist their crew of four; Richard Quest, CNN’s Business Presenter is part of the team that is currently filming.

Short roadside break for Richard Quest & Matt to take some photos!

Our Ivorian team have been instrumental in assisting CNN’s passage to Cote d’Ivoire with visas & helping arrange meetings.  We’re also indebted to U. Roberto Romano, Cinematographer (Shady Chocolate & Dark Side of Chocolate) who assisted our cause with a dinner meeting in New York.

This morning at 7am, our Secretary, Paul Camille & Director, Erick picked up the CNN team at their hotel.

They have gone up-country & are showing CNN ‘another’ side of Cote d’Ivoire for three days.  CNN were initially invited by Nestle’s President to carry out filming on the progress that they’ve made since CNN’s last film about cocoa production & child labour.

Roll, camera, action … in a cocoa plantation!

Currently as this is typed they’re deep into a cocoa plantation & filming as this photo shows; we’ll update you as we hear more from them!

Thanks for your support!

C.R.E.E.R’s Secretary with CNN’s Anchor Richard Quest

#FreedomProject our post about CNN’s 1st film:  https://creercentre.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/182/

Richard Quest, CNN Anchor discussing with PC & Erick from C.R.E.E.R in a cocoa plantation near Agboville, Cote d’Ivoire

Syndicated: organized crime and human trafficking

Very interesting piece on human trafficking that could be applied anywhere in the world. Particularly after one of our followers alerted us to this situation with a young Egyptian girl ‘sold’ to a Nigerian Senator http://news.peacefmonline.com/news/201307/169804.php

The mere mention of human trafficking gangs suggests a seedy, clandestine underbelly of organized international criminal syndicates focused on profiting from the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. The terms “gang”, “syndicate” and “organized crime group” are bandied about the anti-trafficking world on a regular basis as descriptors for those who undertake, facilitate and/or enable exploitation. But when interrogated, the terms become slightly opaque, perhaps challenging perceptions about the actors complicit in human trafficking.

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Akwaba Sébastien!

We are thrilled to welcome Sébastien Jadot to the C.R.E.E.R team, based in Brussels, Belgium; seat of the EU government he has an excellent background to join C.R.E.E.R as a Policy Analyst and on a benevolent level.

Sébastien wrote an excellent article on the historical & political background to cocoa farming; highlighting the reasons why the farmers are in need of child labour:

http://www.consultancyafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1190%3Acote-divoires-blood-beans-big-men-politics-conflict-and-environmental-degradation-in-the-land-of-cocoa-&catid=92%3Aenviro-africa&Itemid=297

He will be working closely with C.R.E.E.R’s teams in France & Cote d’Ivoire, as well as our supporters globally.  He will be writing policy briefs exploring debates regarding child trafficking for the cocoa from an EU perspective and their policies in regards to cocoa plantations with Cote d’Ivoire as a particular focus.

We’re particularly keen to work with EU government policy makers & stakeholders to make a change for the future as well as providing support to C.R.E.E.R & the start of the centre!

As is said in Cote d’Ivoire ‘Akwaba’ & thank you for agreeing to join us!!!

STOP PRESS from Friday 12th July 2013

Following our STOP PRESS piece on Friday, here are the two articles mentioned.

A massive thanks goes to C.R.E.E.R’s Vice President in Cote d’Ivoire who retrieved these articles!  Please note these children are going to ‘several NGO’s’ but many we suspect will be orphanages who aren’t used to dealing with the emotional needs of these children.

1st copy: NOUVEAU REVEIL

2nd copy: LE PATRIOT

Both published Friday 12th July, 2013

Annual Fundraiser

Gorgeous small village in southern France near the Spanish border … come & assist C.R.E.E.R please; crazy games for the whole family!

Music in the evening for the young, or a choral in the 11th century Abbey!

Lots of varying accomodation on site, from camping to luxury hotels!

STOP PRESS!!!

We have just been alerted that 200 trafficked chldren were found in transport in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire heading for cocoa farms the night of 10th/11th July (the night before last)

The majority are apparently from neighbouring Burkina Faso; there is also talk that they are part of a convoy of 750 trafficked people but this isn’t confirmed.

Whilst we’re really happy that the Ivorian authorities have found these children; we have a few questions:

1.  Who is going to manage these children?

2.  Where will they be in the interim prior to being taken home?

3.  How did they cross the border?

Our own view is that they probably entered Cote d’Ivoire in small numbers with an adult as happens on the Ghanaian border so as to divert any suspiscicn.  This was discussed with an Ivorian lady in April who has a shop in Elubo and is aware of children crossing with an adult, usually up to 5 children at a time.

We hope that the situation for these 200 children will be resolved shortly & they can return home as quickly as possibly; however there’s always the worry they’ll be re-trafficked!

 

(An article was seen in Le Patriote & Nouveau Reveil 12/07/13 concerning this situation)