Putting the brakes on exploiting children

Nicky was in Romania and watched as youngsters spent hours stringing beads and putting them around their necks, to sell to try to make ends meet for their families.

Later, she learned all about the sweat shops in the poorest areas of under-developed countries, which forced desperate people to work for hours for pennies as they pushed out clothes and jewellery.

Nicky knew she had to do all she could to try to outlaw those conditions.

Now, of course, Fairtrade is a thriving business '“ and Nicky is proud to be leading the way in Bognor Regis.

The 39-year-old of Davenport Road, Felpham, sells jewellery and accessories '“ and later hopes to expand her business into food and giftware '“ and she knows that every item she sells has been produced in conditions a far cry from Romania 15 years ago.

"The public are now more aware than ever about Fairtrade," she says.

"The goods I sell come from Ghana, Mexico, Bali and India and I know they have been produced the right way.

"There are a lot of rules and regulations now to put an end to awful conditions and I deal only with suppliers who have been subject to rigorous checks.

"I know the people making the goods I sell are not exploited, that they are paid a proper wage, that they receive sick pay and holiday pay, and that they have good living conditions. All that has been checked and double-checked before a single item arrives on my doorstep."

But surely Fairtrade goods are more expensive '“ after all, someone has to pay for all those checks?

"That may have been the case a few years ago, but not any more," says Nicky.

"There is now a lot of choice of Fairtrade items and that has helped push the prices down so they are comparable, and in some cases cheaper, than other goods.

"Of course, there are always cheap items on sale that makes you wonder where they come from '“ when you can buy a pair of jeans for 3 on a market, it makes you stop and think if they have been produced at a sweat shop somewhere, and are not legitimate.

"There has been so much in newspapers and on television that the public are aware of that now, which is why consumers steer clear of items like that."

Nicky's e-commerce company, Something Different To Wear, is website based (sdtw.co.uk) although she says she is looking to expand in the future.

"I've got some ideas about taking premises one day, but we'll wait and see what happens," she says.

"I'm keeping an eye on the economic position and what the banks are doing '“ to expand I would need investment, and I'm reviewing that at the moment."

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