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I SO thirsty (for slavery-free tea)

Your kit for hosting a virtual tea party that could impact thousands of vulnerable women and girls.

1 Reading Between The Tea Leaves

So, where does our tea come from? Join us in asking T2 to commit to paying India is the There are Low wages on the second largest tea plantations of a living wage for tea producer of tea in thought to be Assam (the largest the world. 100,000 girls in tea producing state workers in Assam. in India) are fuelling Approximately slavery, some as unique forms of 10 million people in young as 12, in vulnerability to modern India are dependent Delhi alone. slavery. Last year, on the tea industry for Oxfam found that their livelihood. across 50 tea estates in Assam, workers were paid between Together we can AU$2.80 - $3.50 a day. This is not enough for improve the lives of workers to meet their basic needs. thousands of workers.

2 Many workers on Tea must be processed India’s tea plantations 8 – 14 hours after it is face terrible picked. Tea workers living conditions. have no choice but to Why T2? Under Indian law, live on the plantations, Did you know T2 is owned by plantations must if they want a job. Unilever? Unilever, along with 2 other provide workers with housing, electricity, Women and girls bear companies, owns roughly 80% of the food supplements, the burden of this global tea market. sanitation facilities hardship. They take and childcare. In many on the most labour- Over 1 million people derive their cases, employers intensive, lowest paid livelihood from Unilever’s tea supply inflate the value of job of picking the tea chain. Unilever has industry leading these in-kind benefits leaves. Traffickers policies for fair wages for their direct to justify low wages. prey on their desire Workers often live for a better life, employees. We’d like to see these in dangerous and deceiving them with extended to the workers in their supply unsanitary housing. promises of great chain, to those that pick T2’s tea. They lack access to work opportunities clean water. Their and trapping them in children have few exploitation and sexual Watch this short video from options but to work slavery in Indian cities. with their parents on Social Accountability International the plantations. to learn more about the need for a living wage.

3 What power do I have to influence T2?

The Market Consumer Power Aussies Like Tea The Australian tea market is What does this all mean? When valued at $1.2 billion and is it comes to tea, Aussies have We know that it’s very growing at a compounded rate consumer power. YOU have likely that you have enjoyed a tea or (T)2 of 3.5% through 2023, according consumer power. That means it is while you have been to Statista, a German-based possible for you to influence how in isolation. Globally, market research firm. There is a business is done, simply through people drink over three billion cups of lively but much smaller specialty the purchasing choices you make tea every day. tea segment represented by T2, and the way you use your voice founded in Melbourne in 1996, to tell brands what you want from In Australia, half of the population drink at acquired by Unilever in 2013 and them. least one cup of tea now global with 110 outlets. weekly. Australians drink an average 9.5 cups per person per week.

4 The Champions

We’re calling on Australians We need champions, like to host a virtual tea party with you to make this work. friends and family.

What makes someone a champion? We can collectively persuade You’re someone who, You’re also someone who T2 to do more to end human like us, understands trafficking by guaranteeing a how precious women Drinks tea Is curious and girls are to this (actually, that’s not true, you just about how the global tea industry living wage for tea workers in planet. How critical have to know people who do – and can work for, or against the health their supply chain. a living wage is to the statistics tell us you do) and prosperity of women and girls address the urgent crisis of trafficking and Have a few, or a lot of friends, Wants to do modern slavery. How you want to catch up with virtually #SomethingForSlavery! everybody loses when or in-person if you can! Perhaps you wants to exercise your power and inequality and violence can simply add the tea party onto agency, collectively, to protect goes unchallenged. your pre-existing team meeting, women and girls in India from book club, drinks with friends… vulnerability to human trafficking.

5 The Tea Party

4. Take Action

1. Invite 2. Plan 3. Put the kettle on Host your tea party and MOST 5 Easy IMPORTANTLY take action! This Use our invitation How will you share Have a cup of tea on template and the issue of human hand for the virtual is where it all comes to the boil. Steps Instagram and trafficking and poor hang out and make Make sure you and your guests go Facebook images to wages on tea estates sure your friends to www.projectdidiaustralia.org/ share the campaign with your guests? do as well. You can and invite your friends You can find some tea find a list of tea somethingforslavery and send to your tea party. You talking points on page brands committed a message to T2. A living wage can find these in the 7 to get you started. to protecting their is within reach for tea workers in Resources section of workers on page 9. our campaign page. Assam, but we need all of your voices to persuade T2. 5. Share

Take a picture to share if you could direct Don’t forget to ask Instagram with us using the message us the shot on your guests to follow #SomethingForSlavery Instagram, Facebook Project Didi Australia Facebook hashtag and tag us or by email so we can and the Something for LinkedIn on Instagram keep track of the tea Slavery campaign on Twitter @somethingforslavery. parties happening and the socials: If your account is share the inspiration. Send us an email private we would love 6 Your Tea Party Talking Points

What’s your How are low wages fuelling human slavery footprint? trafficking in India’s tea plantations? Learn More

How do you want to Start by using “There is a price for keeping wages so low, Watch this short video on the truth share the facts about this online tool and it is paid by the workers who cannot afford about tea plantations (2 minutes). modern slavery and to work out your to keep their daughters. When the traffickers the tea industry in personal slavery come knocking, offering to take the girls away, Watch this interview with Manju, who a way that makes footprint and share promising good wages and an exciting new life, sense to you and your it with your guests. they find it hard to say no.” was trafficked from a tea plantation in guests? Maybe you Your Slavery Footprint Gethin Chamberlain, The Guardian Assam – CNN Freedom Project want to share Somila’s represents the number (4 minutes). story? Maybe you of forced laborers A living wage is within reach for tea workers want to use some of that were likely to be in Assam. Oxfam estimates that workers on Read this Guardian article about how these resources? involved in creating Assam’s estates currently receive around poverty wages for tea pickers are and manufacturing AU$0.06 per 100g of bagged black tea. fuelling a trade in child slavery the products you It would only take an increase to AU$0.15 (5 minute read). buy. It will help you to pay a living wage. to get a sense of the pervasiveness of the Lastly, if you’re still doubting that you have the Read Be Slavery Free’s Not my cup of issue and how much power to create change, watch this short video tea report on the resources section of by Freedom United (1 minute). Consumer voices power you have to our campaign page (20 minute read). affect change once you persuaded one of the world’s biggest tea brands know where the right to create an action plan to better protect workers Take a look at the @somethingforslavery levers are. in their supply chain and influenced 6 of the UK’s biggest tea brands to reveal where their tea Instagram for stats and quotes to share. comes from, down to the exact tea estate!

7 Somila’s Story

Somila’s life started on the vast Nahorani tea Somila’s father explains “Two days before my “I was abused badly plantation in the northeast Indian state of Assam. daughter was kidnapped this agent, the trafficker, at that second place. Somila’s story Like many living on the tea plantations, Somila came and gave her a lot of tempting ideas that That man was very comes from Be experienced a life of poverty, her family earning if you go with me, you will be happy, things bad: he used to touch Slavery Free’s very little and her opportunities limited. like that.” me in my private Not my cup of parts and try to rape tea report. It Somila describes “I was tempted with a Somila was tempted by the prospect of a job and me. I was very angry, is based on a how she was deceived decent job and I was the promise of a better life and before she knew but I had nowhere to case reported by a trafficker who told that since I am it, she was hundreds of kilometres from home go and I did not want in the Observer visited the plantation a little bit educated I being sold as a maid to a family in Delhi for a to stay there” Magazine in when she was just will find a good job in payment of Rs 25,066 (AU$515). She was unable 2014. 16 years old. an office or at a shop, to escape, could not contact her family and soon Eventually, unlike so come with us and found herself in an abusive home. so many others who you will earn good simply disappear, money and we were Somila was thankfully poor so I thought it rescued through would be good.” the assistance of a local charity.

8 How to pick a tea for your tea party

Should I buy Fairtrade?

To help you select tea for your party, we’ve put Support local What about the Organisations like Fairtrade and together a list of brands, who are making positive Rainforest Alliance work with brands progress in ensuring their supply chains are big brands? Nerada’s Black Tea to help them comply with certain transparent and ethical, and their workers are is one of the few Last year, as a result standards, including protections and fair treated fairly. black teas that is of this campaign, 100% Australian treatment for workers. Yorkshire Tea, Twinings, See if your local café or grocery store stocks an made, grown on the Tata (Tetley) and Australian brand – but be a curious consumer! Atherton Tablelands in They are not a guarantee of slavery-free Clipper, along with Ask the brand – where is your tea grown? North Queensland and Unilever (T2 Tea, PG but if your tea has the seal logo of Are tea workers paid a living wage? packed in Brisbane. It Tips, Bushells and one of these organisations, you can is Rainforest Alliance Lipton) published be more confident that the brand are certified. Their organic a list of where they addressing the factors which lead to teas and herbal source their tea from infusions are a mix of human trafficking. in Assam. When a imported organic raw company is transparent ingredients, which are about where they blended and packed in are sourcing their Brisbane. raw products, it may encourage action on other issues, such as paying a living wage and ensuring safe working conditions.

9 BE SLAVERY FREE

Thoughts, Project Didi Australia strives Be Slavery Free is led by for futures of hope, dignity and a coalition of civil society, Suggestions, independence for survivors of community and other trafficking and abuse. We partner organisations working together Questions? with locally-led organisations in to prevent, abolish and disrupt Nepal to support women and modern slavery in Australia This Tea Party Pack was compiled by girls to reclaim their lives after and around the world. Through Project Didi Australia with support from our violence. We raise awareness advocacy and resources for friends at Be Slavery Free. We hope it’s easy and inspiring to use but if you have any questions or and advocate for action to business, investors, consumers, you need help – please reach out to us – because end gender-based violence government and civil society, we this is something we are pretty passionate about and modern slavery with our empower others to help the world and our team (made up of 100% volunteers) want to help make this work for you. community in Australia. to be slavery free.