Monthly Archives: April 2018

Baptist

Bangjoo Praise School

In the middle of January his year, as part of a discussion about how engage the musical talents and gifts of church members in mission, the Melbourne Bangjoo Church Leaders had the idea of conducting a praise school.

Since February, Byungsuk Lee has undertaken general planning, and been in charge of the proceedings and publicity to prepare the praise school. In March, he was able to promote the school of praise through various routes. 


The Praise School was aimed at children who had no experience of faith, or those who had been brought up in Christian families but were not living in faith. The intent was to make it possible for the children who participated to meet God naturally through praise and music.

The children participated in one of four Praise School programs:

Praise and dance Class for Prep
Rhythm Class for grade 1 ~ 3
Band Class for Grade 4 ~ 5
Choir Class for all children combined

Byungsuk Lee shared his excitement that he couldn't believe they could do so much in such a short time, ''but God was finally praised through the lips of the children. Hallelujah!"

Source: BUV News

Baptist, News

Death and Loss in the Karen Community

by Martin West

My father-in-law died two weeks ago, and we buried him on the weekend.


I have experienced the loss of family members in my own, Anglo-Australian family, but the loss of someone from my wife’s Karen family has been new and different. There have been tears but there has also been incredible support from the community. I have learned that grief, loss, death and dying in the Karen community are very public, very communal and very relational.

My father-in-law, ‘Pu’ (Grandfather) Hsar Yuh had fought with the British Army in World War 2 and then been a frontline commander and intelligence officer with several guerrilla armies during the civil war in Burma. He was fiercely independent, had got around on a bike until a few years ago, and resolutely wobbled around on a walking stick and then a pusher. Around Christmas his health had started to go downhill but he refused to go to hospital. In the first week of February he was not only ill but also in pain and finally allowed his daughter Say Htoo to take him to hospital. They did a CT scan and called my sister-in-law into an interview room. ‘When they asked me to sit down and put a box of tissues in front of me, I knew it wasn’t going to be good news’, Say Htoo told us later.

Pu had bowel cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and bones. The doctors told us it was too late for treatment and further testing was pointless. They estimated he had anything from two weeks to a few months left to live.

The nursing staff quickly transferred Pu to a private room. This wasn’t for the benefit of my father-in-law – it was for the benefit of other patients who might want some peace and quiet. Pu had a constant stream of visitors who talked, prayed, read from the bible, and sang hymns.

Pu was rarely alone. In addition to visitors a family member always stayed with my father-in-law to care for him. One of my sisters-in-law, their husbands, or myself would sleep overnight with him. Pu’s first cousin – a Karen Baptist – had married an ethnic Tai Yai Buddhist and their daughter Sam Hom had come to Australia as a refugee. In Burma love and life often cross ethnic and religious boundaries. Sam Hom’s husband Tun Thein, also a Tai Yai Buddhist, had been a nurse caring for people with HIV/AIDS before coming to Australia. If they weren’t at work they were at the hospital. They were loving, attentive and skilful, and their support invaluable.


Pu was transferred to the palliative care ward, but he refused to accept he had cancer. In his long life he has been shot and injured by shrapnel several times and had malaria and other tropical diseases more times than anyone could remember. He had survived it all and believed he would survive this one too.

Werribee Mercy is a Catholic hospital and we appreciated being able to go to the hospital chapel for a few minutes of prayer. A Qur’an and a prayer mat on a shelf at the back of the chapel made it clear everyone was welcome in the chapel whether or not they were Catholic.

The week before the Labour Day weekend Pu came home. He had lived with his wife, Eh Htoo, his son Hsar Htoo, his daughter – my wife – Htoo Htoo Eh, our daughter Sophie and myself, and this is where he had said he wanted to die.

Initially he refused to use the hospital bed that had been installed in the front lounge room, insisting on returning to his bedroom where he had a pair of military binoculars hanging off the bed end. I took a turn to sleep close by him, stretching a mat outside his bedroom, and wandered bleary-eyed into work the next day.

By the Labour Day weekend Pu could no longer walk and agreed to sleep on hospital bed. He could no longer talk and did not want to eat or drink. Friends from Bendigo came to visit, their car boots jampacked with vegetables from community gardens. Pu no longer seemed to recognise everyone, but for an hour he held the hand of a Karen Buddhist monk who is an old family friend. We didn’t think Pu would survive the weekend, and my sisters-in-law, their husbands and children moved in. The pastors from Westgate Karen Baptist Church – Rev K’Paw Mwee and Rev Dr Ner Dah – came daily with their families. I don’t know how many Anglo-Australian pastors would bring their families on a pastoral visit, but in Karen culture it works. Ner Dah and  K’Paw Mwee’s wives helped with the cooking and talked, and Ner Dah’s children played on their iPads or had pillow fights with our kids.

The Tuesday after the long weekend my wife and I returned to work and the kids returned to school. In the afternoon my sister-in-law Say Say rang to say Pu had lost consciousness and we better come home. Pu’s granddaughter Deborah goes to school with the daughters of the Werribee Karen Baptist church pastor, Gail Moe. Gail Moe and her family brought her home and stayed with us. When I got home my father-in-law’s breathing would slow, stop, and then start again. Pu’s grandson Alvin finally returned from a school excursion and said goodbye. Five minutes later my father-in-law’s breathing stopped and his skin colour changed. Tun Thein checked his pulse and told us he was dead, and the tears started.


I called Palliative Care to report my father-in-law’s death. A nurse with a caring voice asked if I was alone. Alone? By 8:30pm we had fifty or sixty people squeezed into the house for an hour-long prayer service. The pastors lead the service from the lounge room, sitting alongside the body of my father-in-law. After the prayer service people ate and took photos with the body of my father-in-law. I couldn’t imagine Anglo-Australians taking photos with a dead person, but if you come from a culture where there is always a group photo, and people are comfortable with death, it seems natural.

Pastor Ner Dah stayed until midnight, and Pastor K’Paw Mwee and his wife stayed overnight. My wife and her sisters couldn’t sleep, and they stayed awake and talked.

In the days that followed we had a constant stream of visitors who came to bring food or contributions for the funeral, and to share our grief. Every evening until the funeral there was a prayer service followed by a meal, and every day people would bring enough food to ensure there was enough. Our Buddhist cousins joined in bringing food, and stayed through the prayer services. The night before the funeral cousins drove down from Bendigo with enormous cooking pots and an entire pig (thankfully dead and in pieces) in the back of their Toyota four-wheel-drive.


My father-in-law had the funeral that reflected his life. There were prayers, hymns, bible readings and sermons in Karen and English. A Karen flag was spread across the coffin. Another former guerrilla commander led the congregation in saluting Pu, while Pastor Eh Doh Wah Ri played the Last Post on a trumpet. The diversity of the people who filled the church – Karen and Anglo-Australians, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims – reflected the diversity of the world he lived in.

Pu was buried at Altona Memorial Park a few metres from his best friend, another Karen leader who had dedicated his life to ‘the revolution’. We went home for another prayer service, followed by a meal of pork, rice and noodles. The next morning we slept in.

Anglo-Australian Christians often assume that migrant Christians need to learn from them how to do church in Australia. However after experiencing the overwhelming companionship and support of the Karen community, I believe that Anglo-Australian Christians have a lot to learn from migrant and refugee Christians about how to be church.

Martin West is a member of Westgate Baptist Community.

Baptist

Death and Loss in the Karen Community

by Martin West

My father-in-law died two weeks ago, and we buried him on the weekend.


I have experienced the loss of family members in my own, Anglo-Australian family, but the loss of someone from my wife’s Karen family has been new and different. There have been tears but there has also been incredible support from the community. I have learned that grief, loss, death and dying in the Karen community are very public, very communal and very relational.

My father-in-law, ‘Pu’ (Grandfather) Hsar Yuh had fought with the British Army in World War 2 and then been a frontline commander and intelligence officer with several guerrilla armies during the civil war in Burma. He was fiercely independent, had got around on a bike until a few years ago, and resolutely wobbled around on a walking stick and then a pusher. Around Christmas his health had started to go downhill but he refused to go to hospital. In the first week of February he was not only ill but also in pain and finally allowed his daughter Say Htoo to take him to hospital. They did a CT scan and called my sister-in-law into an interview room. ‘When they asked me to sit down and put a box of tissues in front of me, I knew it wasn’t going to be good news’, Say Htoo told us later.

Pu had bowel cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and bones. The doctors told us it was too late for treatment and further testing was pointless. They estimated he had anything from two weeks to a few months left to live.

The nursing staff quickly transferred Pu to a private room. This wasn’t for the benefit of my father-in-law – it was for the benefit of other patients who might want some peace and quiet. Pu had a constant stream of visitors who talked, prayed, read from the bible, and sang hymns.

Pu was rarely alone. In addition to visitors a family member always stayed with my father-in-law to care for him. One of my sisters-in-law, their husbands, or myself would sleep overnight with him. Pu’s first cousin – a Karen Baptist – had married an ethnic Tai Yai Buddhist and their daughter Sam Hom had come to Australia as a refugee. In Burma love and life often cross ethnic and religious boundaries. Sam Hom’s husband Tun Thein, also a Tai Yai Buddhist, had been a nurse caring for people with HIV/AIDS before coming to Australia. If they weren’t at work they were at the hospital. They were loving, attentive and skilful, and their support invaluable.


Pu was transferred to the palliative care ward, but he refused to accept he had cancer. In his long life he has been shot and injured by shrapnel several times and had malaria and other tropical diseases more times than anyone could remember. He had survived it all and believed he would survive this one too.

Werribee Mercy is a Catholic hospital and we appreciated being able to go to the hospital chapel for a few minutes of prayer. A Qur’an and a prayer mat on a shelf at the back of the chapel made it clear everyone was welcome in the chapel whether or not they were Catholic.

The week before the Labour Day weekend Pu came home. He had lived with his wife, Eh Htoo, his son Hsar Htoo, his daughter – my wife – Htoo Htoo Eh, our daughter Sophie and myself, and this is where he had said he wanted to die.

Initially he refused to use the hospital bed that had been installed in the front lounge room, insisting on returning to his bedroom where he had a pair of military binoculars hanging off the bed end. I took a turn to sleep close by him, stretching a mat outside his bedroom, and wandered bleary-eyed into work the next day.

By the Labour Day weekend Pu could no longer walk and agreed to sleep on hospital bed. He could no longer talk and did not want to eat or drink. Friends from Bendigo came to visit, their car boots jampacked with vegetables from community gardens. Pu no longer seemed to recognise everyone, but for an hour he held the hand of a Karen Buddhist monk who is an old family friend. We didn’t think Pu would survive the weekend, and my sisters-in-law, their husbands and children moved in. The pastors from Westgate Karen Baptist Church – Rev K’Paw Mwee and Rev Dr Ner Dah – came daily with their families. I don’t know how many Anglo-Australian pastors would bring their families on a pastoral visit, but in Karen culture it works. Ner Dah and  K’Paw Mwee’s wives helped with the cooking and talked, and Ner Dah’s children played on their iPads or had pillow fights with our kids.

The Tuesday after the long weekend my wife and I returned to work and the kids returned to school. In the afternoon my sister-in-law Say Say rang to say Pu had lost consciousness and we better come home. Pu’s granddaughter Deborah goes to school with the daughters of the Werribee Karen Baptist church pastor, Gail Moe. Gail Moe and her family brought her home and stayed with us. When I got home my father-in-law’s breathing would slow, stop, and then start again. Pu’s grandson Alvin finally returned from a school excursion and said goodbye. Five minutes later my father-in-law’s breathing stopped and his skin colour changed. Tun Thein checked his pulse and told us he was dead, and the tears started.


I called Palliative Care to report my father-in-law’s death. A nurse with a caring voice asked if I was alone. Alone? By 8:30pm we had fifty or sixty people squeezed into the house for an hour-long prayer service. The pastors lead the service from the lounge room, sitting alongside the body of my father-in-law. After the prayer service people ate and took photos with the body of my father-in-law. I couldn’t imagine Anglo-Australians taking photos with a dead person, but if you come from a culture where there is always a group photo, and people are comfortable with death, it seems natural.

Pastor Ner Dah stayed until midnight, and Pastor K’Paw Mwee and his wife stayed overnight. My wife and her sisters couldn’t sleep, and they stayed awake and talked.

In the days that followed we had a constant stream of visitors who came to bring food or contributions for the funeral, and to share our grief. Every evening until the funeral there was a prayer service followed by a meal, and every day people would bring enough food to ensure there was enough. Our Buddhist cousins joined in bringing food, and stayed through the prayer services. The night before the funeral cousins drove down from Bendigo with enormous cooking pots and an entire pig (thankfully dead and in pieces) in the back of their Toyota four-wheel-drive.


My father-in-law had the funeral that reflected his life. There were prayers, hymns, bible readings and sermons in Karen and English. A Karen flag was spread across the coffin. Another former guerrilla commander led the congregation in saluting Pu, while Pastor Eh Doh Wah Ri played the Last Post on a trumpet. The diversity of the people who filled the church – Karen and Anglo-Australians, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims – reflected the diversity of the world he lived in.

Pu was buried at Altona Memorial Park a few metres from his best friend, another Karen leader who had dedicated his life to ‘the revolution’. We went home for another prayer service, followed by a meal of pork, rice and noodles. The next morning we slept in.

Anglo-Australian Christians often assume that migrant Christians need to learn from them how to do church in Australia. However after experiencing the overwhelming companionship and support of the Karen community, I believe that Anglo-Australian Christians have a lot to learn from migrant and refugee Christians about how to be church.

Martin West is a member of Westgate Baptist Community.

Source: BUV News

Baptist

Fashion Industry Report Highlights Progress Five Years From Rana Plaza

Baptist World Aid’s landmark report reveals brands making and failing the ethical grade


Five years since the Rana Plaza tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 garment workers, an industry-leading research report launched today reveals the fashion industry may finally be making headway in protecting workers.

Baptist World Aid Australia’s fifth and largest Ethical Fashion Report graded 114 apparel companies (or 407 brands) from A to F on the systems that companies have in place to uphold the rights of workers. The report revealed significant improvement in supply chain transparency, noting that until the Rana Plaza tragedy, few global fashion companies chose to make information about their supply chains publicly available.

“The Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh catapulted the plight of workers into the minds of consumers and companies globally,” said Baptist World Aid Australia’s Advocacy Manager, Gershon Nimbalker.

“The global fashion industry now recognises that transparency demonstrates a willingness to be accountable to consumers and workers, and we commend the 35% of companies publishing full direct supplier lists,” continued Mr Nimbalker.

Mr Nimbalker stressed that worker empowerment and payment of a living wage remain the areas where the most advancement still needs to be made, while tracing of raw materials remains a significant challenge.

“Year on year, our Report has shown that companies are not taking the challenge of paying a living wage seriously. Sadly, our fifth report is no different, with only 17% of companies able to prove they were paying all workers a living wage.”

“Outland Denim is a standout when it comes to demonstrating paying all its workers a fair living wage, whereas Ally Fashion, Decjuba, Wish, Pavement United Brands and Voyager Distribution all received an F grade due to a lack of transparency with labour rights management systems.”

“Today’s consumers want assurance that the brands they buy from are doing their bit to protect workers from being exploited, and the global fashion industry has responded to this by improving its systems, forming new alliances, and becoming more transparent. That being said, there is still a great deal of improvement to be made.”

Knowing suppliers from farm to factory
While The Report reveals that most companies know all their manufacturing suppliers, only 18% of companies know all their fabric suppliers, and only 7% know where their raw materials like cotton originated.
“Fashion production throughout the Asia-Pacific is marred by the presence of slavery, and problems of child labour remain persistent,” said Mr Nimbalker. “If companies can’t identify, or don’t care, where all their materials are made, then how can they be sure workers aren’t being exploited or even enslaved?”

Living wage a major concern
The Report reveals that only 5% of companies could demonstrate that all their manufacturing workers were being paid a living wage, and 70% of the industry is yet to take significant action to improve worker wages.
"The global fashion industry can facilitate a road out of poverty for hundreds of thousands of people, or drive oppression and exploitation. Companies should continue to strengthen their labour rights systems and ensure that workers – from farm to factory – receive a living wage,” said Mr Nimbalker.

Transparency – if shoppers can’t see, how do they know?
The Report finds that more companies than ever before are practicing transparency, yet more than half (54%) of the companies assessed were yet to publish any details of their suppliers, demonstrating an unwillingness to be held accountable for their treatment of workers.

The Australian Government has committed to legislating a Modern Slavery Act in Australia by the end of the year. Among other things, this legislation will require companies to publish details of the systems they have in place to ensure that workers aren’t enslaved.

The gender pay gap
This year for the first time, The Report’s grading metric assessed companies on their gender policies and strategies, revealing widespread gender-based discrimination in recruitment and sexual harassment in the workplace. All countries in the Asia-Pacific reported a gender pay gap – with the gap most significant in Pakistan, India, and Sri-Lanka at 66.5%, 35.3%, and 30.3% respectively.
“The last year has proven to be a transformational one for many women, with the #MeToo movement shining a light on entrenched workplace sexual harassment. However, we can’t lose focus on the plight of lower-wage workers in industries where sexual harassment is also rampant. “

Tracking Fashion’s environmental footprint
In another first Baptist World Aid began initial assessment of companies’ efforts in environmental management, and anticipates this to become a part of the formal grading system in 2019. Preliminary results reveal a significant correlation between the strongest labour rights performers and strong environmental systems.

Outland Denim, Freeset, Mighty Good Group, Etiko, H&M, Common Good, Kowtow, Rrepp, Patagonia and Icebreaker demonstrated outstanding environmental management.

Although many large global firms had some environmental systems in place, firms headquartered in Australia and New Zealand are largely trailing behind their international counterparts.

KEY FINDINGS:

TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
• In 2013, just 16% of companies were publishing the names and addresses of all their manufacturing suppliers. It is now 34%.
• 12 companies begun publishing their supplier list in the last year, including Jeanswest, Asos, and Gorman.

AUDITING AND SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
• Efforts to trace suppliers have improved substantially in the last five years. In 2013, only 41% of companies were tracing inputs (such as fabric suppliers) and 15% were tracing their raw materials suppliers (such as cotton farms). This year it’s increased to 78% and 42%, respectively.
• Kathmandu remains a stand out performer when it comes to tracing raw materials, using a combination of BCI and Fairtrade cotton to trace three quarters of its cotton supply and, through Responsible Down, has traced 100% of its down supply.

WORKER EMPOWERMENT
• The majority (78%) of companies surveyed were revealed not to have clear strategy in place to address discrimination faced by women in their supply chain.
• Glasson were identified as going beyond assessing and monitoring specific gender policies for most of its sourcing countries, with established strategies to promote gender equality in their supply chain including: encouraging factories to have a female worker representative within factories that have a workforce with over 50% female staff; asking that suppliers display information on women’s rights within facilities; expanding business relationships with female-owned enterprises; providing or supporting training to workers, suppliers, and Glassons’ staff.

 

ABOUT ‘BEHIND THE BARCODE’ SERIES The 2018 Australian Ethical Fashion Report is the seventh report to be released in a series investigating the ethical practices of consumer industries. Since the release of the 2013 Australian Fashion Report and the Electronics Industry Trends Report in 2014, thousands of consumers have worked to influence the labour rights practices of companies and brands including Kmart Australia, Target Australia, Woolworths and Coles.

 

Order your digital and/or physical copy of the 2018 Ethical Fashion Guide by visiting Baptist World Aid’s website www.behindthebarcode.org.au.

Source: BUV News

Baptist, News

Fashion Industry Report Highlights Progress Five Years From Rana Plaza

Baptist World Aid’s landmark report reveals brands making and failing the ethical grade


Five years since the Rana Plaza tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 garment workers, an industry-leading research report launched today reveals the fashion industry may finally be making headway in protecting workers.

Baptist World Aid Australia’s fifth and largest Ethical Fashion Report graded 114 apparel companies (or 407 brands) from A to F on the systems that companies have in place to uphold the rights of workers. The report revealed significant improvement in supply chain transparency, noting that until the Rana Plaza tragedy, few global fashion companies chose to make information about their supply chains publicly available.

“The Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh catapulted the plight of workers into the minds of consumers and companies globally,” said Baptist World Aid Australia’s Advocacy Manager, Gershon Nimbalker.

“The global fashion industry now recognises that transparency demonstrates a willingness to be accountable to consumers and workers, and we commend the 35% of companies publishing full direct supplier lists,” continued Mr Nimbalker.

Mr Nimbalker stressed that worker empowerment and payment of a living wage remain the areas where the most advancement still needs to be made, while tracing of raw materials remains a significant challenge.

“Year on year, our Report has shown that companies are not taking the challenge of paying a living wage seriously. Sadly, our fifth report is no different, with only 17% of companies able to prove they were paying all workers a living wage.”

“Outland Denim is a standout when it comes to demonstrating paying all its workers a fair living wage, whereas Ally Fashion, Decjuba, Wish, Pavement United Brands and Voyager Distribution all received an F grade due to a lack of transparency with labour rights management systems.”

“Today’s consumers want assurance that the brands they buy from are doing their bit to protect workers from being exploited, and the global fashion industry has responded to this by improving its systems, forming new alliances, and becoming more transparent. That being said, there is still a great deal of improvement to be made.”

Knowing suppliers from farm to factory
While The Report reveals that most companies know all their manufacturing suppliers, only 18% of companies know all their fabric suppliers, and only 7% know where their raw materials like cotton originated.
“Fashion production throughout the Asia-Pacific is marred by the presence of slavery, and problems of child labour remain persistent,” said Mr Nimbalker. “If companies can’t identify, or don’t care, where all their materials are made, then how can they be sure workers aren’t being exploited or even enslaved?”

Living wage a major concern
The Report reveals that only 5% of companies could demonstrate that all their manufacturing workers were being paid a living wage, and 70% of the industry is yet to take significant action to improve worker wages.
"The global fashion industry can facilitate a road out of poverty for hundreds of thousands of people, or drive oppression and exploitation. Companies should continue to strengthen their labour rights systems and ensure that workers – from farm to factory – receive a living wage,” said Mr Nimbalker.

Transparency – if shoppers can’t see, how do they know?
The Report finds that more companies than ever before are practicing transparency, yet more than half (54%) of the companies assessed were yet to publish any details of their suppliers, demonstrating an unwillingness to be held accountable for their treatment of workers.

The Australian Government has committed to legislating a Modern Slavery Act in Australia by the end of the year. Among other things, this legislation will require companies to publish details of the systems they have in place to ensure that workers aren’t enslaved.

The gender pay gap
This year for the first time, The Report’s grading metric assessed companies on their gender policies and strategies, revealing widespread gender-based discrimination in recruitment and sexual harassment in the workplace. All countries in the Asia-Pacific reported a gender pay gap – with the gap most significant in Pakistan, India, and Sri-Lanka at 66.5%, 35.3%, and 30.3% respectively.
“The last year has proven to be a transformational one for many women, with the #MeToo movement shining a light on entrenched workplace sexual harassment. However, we can’t lose focus on the plight of lower-wage workers in industries where sexual harassment is also rampant. “

Tracking Fashion’s environmental footprint
In another first Baptist World Aid began initial assessment of companies’ efforts in environmental management, and anticipates this to become a part of the formal grading system in 2019. Preliminary results reveal a significant correlation between the strongest labour rights performers and strong environmental systems.

Outland Denim, Freeset, Mighty Good Group, Etiko, H&M, Common Good, Kowtow, Rrepp, Patagonia and Icebreaker demonstrated outstanding environmental management.

Although many large global firms had some environmental systems in place, firms headquartered in Australia and New Zealand are largely trailing behind their international counterparts.

KEY FINDINGS:

TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
• In 2013, just 16% of companies were publishing the names and addresses of all their manufacturing suppliers. It is now 34%.
• 12 companies begun publishing their supplier list in the last year, including Jeanswest, Asos, and Gorman.

AUDITING AND SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
• Efforts to trace suppliers have improved substantially in the last five years. In 2013, only 41% of companies were tracing inputs (such as fabric suppliers) and 15% were tracing their raw materials suppliers (such as cotton farms). This year it’s increased to 78% and 42%, respectively.
• Kathmandu remains a stand out performer when it comes to tracing raw materials, using a combination of BCI and Fairtrade cotton to trace three quarters of its cotton supply and, through Responsible Down, has traced 100% of its down supply.

WORKER EMPOWERMENT
• The majority (78%) of companies surveyed were revealed not to have clear strategy in place to address discrimination faced by women in their supply chain.
• Glasson were identified as going beyond assessing and monitoring specific gender policies for most of its sourcing countries, with established strategies to promote gender equality in their supply chain including: encouraging factories to have a female worker representative within factories that have a workforce with over 50% female staff; asking that suppliers display information on women’s rights within facilities; expanding business relationships with female-owned enterprises; providing or supporting training to workers, suppliers, and Glassons’ staff.

 

ABOUT ‘BEHIND THE BARCODE’ SERIES The 2018 Australian Ethical Fashion Report is the seventh report to be released in a series investigating the ethical practices of consumer industries. Since the release of the 2013 Australian Fashion Report and the Electronics Industry Trends Report in 2014, thousands of consumers have worked to influence the labour rights practices of companies and brands including Kmart Australia, Target Australia, Woolworths and Coles.

 

Order your digital and/or physical copy of the 2018 Ethical Fashion Guide by visiting Baptist World Aid’s website www.behindthebarcode.org.au.

Baptist

Fashion Industry Report Highlights Progress Five Years On From Rana Pl

Baptist World Aid’s landmark report reveals brands making and failing the ethical grade

Five years since the Rana Plaza tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 garment workers, an industry-leading research report launched today reveals the fashion industry may finally be making headway in protecting workers.

Baptist World Aid Australia’s fifth and largest Ethical Fashion Report graded 114 apparel companies (or 407 brands) from A to F on the systems that companies have in place to uphold the rights of workers. The report revealed significant improvement in supply chain transparency, noting that until the Rana Plaza tragedy, few global fashion companies chose to make information about their supply chains publicly available.

“The Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh catapulted the plight of workers into the minds of consumers and companies globally,” said Baptist World Aid Australia’s Advocacy Manager, Gershon Nimbalker.

“The global fashion industry now recognises that transparency demonstrates a willingness to be accountable to consumers and workers, and we commend the 35% of companies publishing full direct supplier lists,” continued Mr Nimbalker.

Mr Nimbalker stressed that worker empowerment and payment of a living wage remain the areas where the most advancement still needs to be made, while tracing of raw materials remains a significant challenge.

“Year on year, our Report has shown that companies are not taking the challenge of paying a living wage seriously. Sadly, our fifth report is no different, with only 17% of companies able to prove they were paying all workers a living wage.”

“Outland Denim is a standout when it comes to demonstrating paying all its workers a fair living wage, whereas Ally Fashion, Decjuba, Wish, Pavement United Brands and Voyager Distribution all received an F grade due to a lack of transparency with labour rights management systems.”

“Today’s consumers want assurance that the brands they buy from are doing their bit to protect workers from being exploited, and the global fashion industry has responded to this by improving its systems, forming new alliances, and becoming more transparent. That being said, there is still a great deal of improvement to be made.”

Knowing suppliers from farm to factory
While The Report reveals that most companies know all their manufacturing suppliers, only 18% of companies know all their fabric suppliers, and only 7% know where their raw materials like cotton originated.
“Fashion production throughout the Asia-Pacific is marred by the presence of slavery, and problems of child labour remain persistent,” said Mr Nimbalker. “If companies can’t identify, or don’t care, where all their materials are made, then how can they be sure workers aren’t being exploited or even enslaved?”

Living wage a major concern
The Report reveals that only 5% of companies could demonstrate that all their manufacturing workers were being paid a living wage, and 70% of the industry is yet to take significant action to improve worker wages.
"The global fashion industry can facilitate a road out of poverty for hundreds of thousands of people, or drive oppression and exploitation. Companies should continue to strengthen their labour rights systems and ensure that workers – from farm to factory – receive a living wage,” said Mr Nimbalker.

Transparency – if shoppers can’t see, how do they know?
The Report finds that more companies than ever before are practicing transparency, yet more than half (54%) of the companies assessed were yet to publish any details of their suppliers, demonstrating an unwillingness to be held accountable for their treatment of workers.

The Australian Government has committed to legislating a Modern Slavery Act in Australia by the end of the year. Among other things, this legislation will require companies to publish details of the systems they have in place to ensure that workers aren’t enslaved.

The gender pay gap
This year for the first time, The Report’s grading metric assessed companies on their gender policies and strategies, revealing widespread gender-based discrimination in recruitment and sexual harassment in the workplace. All countries in the Asia-Pacific reported a gender pay gap – with the gap most significant in Pakistan, India, and Sri-Lanka at 66.5%, 35.3%, and 30.3% respectively.
“The last year has proven to be a transformational one for many women, with the #MeToo movement shining a light on entrenched workplace sexual harassment. However, we can’t lose focus on the plight of lower-wage workers in industries where sexual harassment is also rampant. “

Tracking Fashion’s environmental footprint
In another first Baptist World Aid began initial assessment of companies’ efforts in environmental management, and anticipates this to become a part of the formal grading system in 2019. Preliminary results reveal a significant correlation between the strongest labour rights performers and strong environmental systems.

Outland Denim, Freeset, Mighty Good Group, Etiko, H&M, Common Good, Kowtow, Rrepp, Patagonia and Icebreaker demonstrated outstanding environmental management.

Although many large global firms had some environmental systems in place, firms headquartered in Australia and New Zealand are largely trailing behind their international counterparts.

KEY FINDINGS:

TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY
• In 2013, just 16% of companies were publishing the names and addresses of all their manufacturing suppliers. It is now 34%.
• 12 companies begun publishing their supplier list in the last year, including Jeanswest, Asos, and Gorman.

AUDITING AND SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS
• Efforts to trace suppliers have improved substantially in the last five years. In 2013, only 41% of companies were tracing inputs (such as fabric suppliers) and 15% were tracing their raw materials suppliers (such as cotton farms). This year it’s increased to 78% and 42%, respectively.
• Kathmandu remains a stand out performer when it comes to tracing raw materials, using a combination of BCI and Fairtrade cotton to trace three quarters of its cotton supply and, through Responsible Down, has traced 100% of its down supply.

WORKER EMPOWERMENT
• The majority (78%) of companies surveyed were revealed not to have clear strategy in place to address discrimination faced by women in their supply chain.
• Glasson were identified as going beyond assessing and monitoring specific gender policies for most of its sourcing countries, with established strategies to promote gender equality in their supply chain including: encouraging factories to have a female worker representative within factories that have a workforce with over 50% female staff; asking that suppliers display information on women’s rights within facilities; expanding business relationships with female-owned enterprises; providing or supporting training to workers, suppliers, and Glassons’ staff.

 

ABOUT ‘BEHIND THE BARCODE’ SERIES The 2018 Australian Ethical Fashion Report is the seventh report to be released in a series investigating the ethical practices of consumer industries. Since the release of the 2013 Australian Fashion Report and the Electronics Industry Trends Report in 2014, thousands of consumers have worked to influence the labour rights practices of companies and brands including Kmart Australia, Target Australia, Woolworths and Coles.

 

Order your digital and/or physical copy of the 2018 Ethical Fashion Guide by visiting Baptist World Aid’s website www.behindthebarcode.org.au.

Source: BUV News

Baptist, News

A Cafe Created to Serve and Love

St Peter's Cafe is a brand new not-for-profit café by day and a friendly church community any other time. Located in the heart of Morwell, the cafe offers a warm and relaxed, family friendly atmosphere with a healthy yet simple lunch menu and quality coffee. 

Through the services of St Peter's Cafe, Christian Community Church Morwell is committed to serving their community by supporting Soul Food Fridays, who provide a meal to the community every Friday night as well as an emergency accommodation service to those who need it most. As proud Gippslandians, they are big on supporting other local businesses and seek to use only locally sourced products.

It's the Latrobe Valley's only non-profit café, and boasts a new playground as the centrepiece of the space for the community to gather.

The intent of the café is to use church facilities and resources otherwise not used during the week to provide employment for local people. Profits from the cafe go to a local soup kitchen and emergency accommodation also operated by the church.

St Peter's Cafe has been open since February 14, with the offical grand opening in April to celebrate the installation of a fully enclosed outdoor area complete with a new playground, funded by a $30,000 grant from Baptcare.

Check out their website here, and share in some of the excitement by viewing the opeining video below

Baptist

A Cafe Created to Serve and Love

St Peter's Cafe is a brand new not-for-profit café by day and a friendly church community any other time. Located in the heart of Morwell, the cafe offers a warm and relaxed, family friendly atmosphere with a healthy yet simple lunch menu and quality coffee. 

Through the services of St Peter's Cafe, Christian Community Church Morwell is committed to serving their community by supporting Soul Food Fridays, who provide a meal to the community every Friday night as well as an emergency accommodation service to those who need it most. As proud Gippslandians, they are big on supporting other local businesses and seek to use only locally sourced products.

It's the Latrobe Valley's only non-profit café, and boasts a new playground as the centrepiece of the space for the community to gather.

The intent of the café is to use church facilities and resources otherwise not used during the week to provide employment for local people. Profits from the cafe go to a local soup kitchen and emergency accommodation also operated by the church.

St Peter's Cafe has been open since February 14, with the offical grand opening in April to celebrate the installation of a fully enclosed outdoor area complete with a new playground, funded by a $30,000 grant from Baptcare.

Check out their website here, and share in some of the excitement by viewing the opeining video below

Source: BUV News