Our Fair Trade Standards
Made By Survivor Certification standards are Fair Trade standards designed for producers who’s primary social purpose is slavery or trafficking survivor rehabilitation, or slavery or trafficking prevention.
We use international fair trade standards as a starting point for our certification requirements, but go beyond those standards due to the particular needs of our target population: in many cases rescued former slaves or high risk people who have suffered significant trauma and have resulting medical, social, and psychological issues which have to be factored into employment conditions.
We insist that all the NGO partners providing products for us observe the following standards:
No child labor
In controlled and inspected environments we allow teen survivors (14-18) to work part-time primarily for therapeutic purposes (art therapy). These teens must be receiving other significant benefits like rehabilitation, formal or informal education, job training, lodging and food, and healthcare. This option is typically for those most recently rescued survivors.
Safe Working Conditions
We require a clean, ventilated, sufficiently large, safe, and comfortable working environment. We visit and inspect all facilities and spend time with the survivor/artisans in their workplace to ensure compliance.
Vacation, Leave and Overtime
Employees work no more than 8 hours a day and are allowed local rest days, vacation, and sick leave. In many cases, the women need to work many fewer hours than that because of extensive family and home responsibilities. We make allowances which allow women to participate who would not be eligible for employment in the open market due to their home responsibilities and limited availability for work.
Fair Wages
Employees are paid a fair living wage for full time work, in accordance with fair trade standards in their home country. Many of the survivors work part-time at shelters and community centers, where they also receive a full range of services free of cost. In these cases, participation in the work program must be voluntary and the survivors must receive some wages, but the wages may be lower than market because of the value of other services they receive.
Voluntary Participation
Participation in work programs must be entirely voluntary. Survivors and high risk women living either at shelters or at home in high risk communities should be given a range of educational, job training and employment options, to the fullest extent possible given the economic circumstances of the community and NGO resources.
Other Services and Benefits
Other services should be provided to employees, with the goal of assisting and empowering them to be become fully functioning members of society. These services may include, as needed: medical care and/or insurance, non-formal education (literacy, numeracy and computers) counseling, social and peer support, housing or housing assistance, and legal aid.
Access to microfinance and opportunity to advance in leadership within the workplace must be offered to those who are interested and able, wherever possible. We encourage the organizations to plan for and implement the creation of survivor-owned and/or managed businesses outside of the sponsoring NGOs.
Privacy
To prevent participants from being further stigmatized (particularly survivors of slavery for sexual exploitation) their privacy must be protected in the workplace. To this end, wherever possible, the workplace should ideally be separated (physically and in name, branding etc.) from NGOs who are locally known to be dealing with slavery/prostitution.
Survivors must have complete control of their name, personal information, and image. All groups providing or selling Made By Survivors products get approval to use any images or names of survivors.
