Ask 1-800-Flowers to Send Rape-Free Roses to Your Loved One

by Alex DiBranco · 2011-02-08 09:08:00 UTC
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Ah, love is in the air ... Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and if you have a special someone in your life, you might be considering one of the most traditional displays of love: a bouquet of red roses. You might be planning to get them delivered by America's largest floral retailer, 1-800-Flowers. But is that the scent of slavery on those petals?

Amanda Kloer reports on End Human Trafficking that as preparations for V-Day gear up, the conditions get even worse for already mistreated cut flower industry workers, the majority of whom are women. 1-800-Flowers sources its beautiful plants from Africa and South and Central America, where forced labor, child labor, exploitation, and sexual abuse are all problems. For instance, more than 50% of female workers in Columbia and Ecuador (where 20% of the labor force is made up of children) report being sexually harassed or assaulted, often while working 80 hours a week without overtime pay. Two-thirds of workers in the cut flower industry have severe health problems as a result of handling pesticides without protection.

Kloer writes: "That can make you wonder if the roses you bought for your sweetheart were picked by a woman forced to keep quiet about being sexually assaulted at work. Or maybe the bouquet you sent your mom was picked by a little girl, denied the chance to go to school." Not a romantic thought.

But what is romantic would be to hand over beautiful stems untainted by exploitation, sexual assault, or child labor. And that would be possible — if 1-800-Flowers agrees to sell Fair Trade certified bouquets. Currently they neither offer fair trade certified flowers nor provide any information on where their blossoms come from.

You can change this. 1-800-Flowers is a business that will respond to consumer demands, so join the almost 3,000 Change.org members who have called for exploitation-free flowers so far by signing this petition. And if the company doesn't step up, you can take your business elsewhere, to a vendor that believes that a rose that's not fair trade doesn't smell as sweet.

Photo credit: alfaneque

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.

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Ask 1 800 Flowers to Offer Fair Trade Flowers That Aren't Picked By Exploited Workers
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