Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times points out the obvious: Demanding that our trading partners implement Western labour standards will ensure that many of the world’s poorest of the poor will be prevented from improving their living conditions.
Before Barack Obama and his team act on their talk about “labor standards,” I’d like to offer [...]

The shocking answer is yes.  Canada’s Department of Justice has devoted several online pages to the tragic reality of slavery in our supposedly civilised era.  Here’s the department’s definition of human trafficking.
Trafficking in persons is a serious crime that involves:

the movement of people across or within borders;
threats or use of force, coercion and deception; [...]

The Canadian Islamic Congress yesterday issued a sternly worded press release denouncing last week’s vote by Canada against the United Nations “Human Rights” Council resolution condemning Israel’s military action in Gaza.
The Canadian Islamic Congress today added its voice to growing protests over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s decision on Monday to have Canada vote against a [...]

The collect for today, the Feast Day of St Antony the Great of Egypt (251-356), anchorite, abbot (source):
Most gracious God,
who didst call thy servant Antony to sell all that he had
and to serve thee in the solitude of the desert:
grant that we, following his example,
may learn to deny ourselves
and to love thee before all things;
through [...]