>> hello and welcome to global 3000, your weekly check on how globalization is shaping our world. today we explore how employment conditions are changing around the globe. but first, here's what we have coming up for you today: rubber renaissance -- a condom factory is reviving caoutchouc production in brazil's amazon rainforests. fast track -- johannesburg's pioneering bus system aims to

beat traffic jams. and modern slavery -- we meet housemaids in singapore, trapped in abusive employment conditions. when the american chemist and inventor charles goodyear made his most famous discovery, little did he know that he was about to revolutionize sexuality around the world. in the middle of the 19th century goodyear developed the process to turn natural caoutchouc into rubber. we all know he used that breakthrough to make tires. but did you know that he also used the process to make condoms? brazil is now using natural rubber to make condoms in remote communities in the amazon rainforest. a condom factory has been set up in the state of acre to promote sustainable development. it encourages local rubber tappers to live off the rainforest without destroying a single tree. >> it's the weekend, and the vibes are good on the dance floor at this disco in western brazil.

volunteers from the health ministry are handing out small, green packages -- condoms. they're a popular item here and not for sale. they are distributed for free. they sometimes come with a practical demonstration. we are in the amazon, not far from bolivian border. duda mendes lives here. and the region is also home to the latex tree. mendes is a rubber tapper. the latex extracted from these rubber trees is used in condom production, here in the amazon. it's a source of income for the locals, and has other benefits as well. >> the condoms offer protection from sexually transmitted diseases and help in family planning.

but i'm done having children thanks to this latex and condoms. we call them little shirts. >> the sleepy town of xapurí was home to the famous environmentalist and activist chico mendes. he was murdered over twenty years ago. this small blue house is where he lived. today it's a museum. duda mendes is chico's cousin. he often visited him here in this house. chico mendes was the first activist to draw the world's attention to the ongoing destruction of the amazon. he was a leader in the battle against deforestation, but always by peaceful means. he was even honored for his work by the united nations and singer paul mccartney dedicated a song to him, after his death. chico was shot and killed by a local rancher and his son on december 22, 1988 in what many

described as an assassination. his cousin says his spirit is still alive. >> chico died, but his ideas live on, and we are still waging his battle. now it's our job to continue his work, and defend our rainforest. >> meanwhile some parts of the amazon have been declared protected zones. in these areas, only sustainable cultivation is permitted. today duda mendes is bringing his freshly-tapped latex to a government collection facility. rubber tapping in the area has turned into a valuable source of income. some 700 families earn a living by it. the government pays a guaranteed price for the latex -- which then gets put to use in the new factory in xapuri.

just two dips in the rubber tank, and the condoms are ready. the manufacturing process is fully automatic, but the final quality control is still a hands-on procedure. duda mendes pays a visit to the factory's director. about 160 local residents work here. >> this project shows that we can preserve the rainforest because we can make a living from it when we take care of sustainability. >> the factory already produces 100 million latex condoms per year. laboratory tests show that the rainforest-latex is stronger than latex harvested in plantations. the condoms manage to hold over 40 liters of air before bursting. the local condoms are also distributed free of charge at doctor's offices in town. it's all part of a program sponsored by the brazilian government designed to combat the spread of sexually

transmitted diseases and hiv/aids. duda criss-crosses the rainforest every day to on his latex harvests. he has 450 rubber trees in his area. he taps each tree just twice a week. that way, the tree will be able to supply latex for many generations. latex farming has made life here much easier for duda and many other local residents. >> the rainforest gives us latex, nuts, wood, and fruit. it's what we live off of. we call it our cash machine. >> with careful management, the money should stay flowing here for years to come. >> a cash machine with a stable currency there at last. from brazil's rainforests we take you right into the middle of johannesburg's busy traffic. here south africa is pioneering the first public high speed bus system on the continent. it currently connects soweto with down town johannesburg

using separate bus lanes and modern technology. each of the speedbuses in service replaces 40 cars, saving around 40 000 tons of co2 emissions per year. a win/win scenario with great potential for the future. >> it's early morning here in soweto -- time for curvin abdull to say goodbye to his mother and his niece. he's a bus driver, and can't be late for work. but he is not taking a bus himself -- the next bus stop is too far away. instead he takes a minibus taxi. they are one of south africa's most important means of transportation. they don't follow a set route, and passengers have to negotiate the fare themselves

with the driver. not long ago, curvin abdull was also a taxi driver but didn't enjoy it. >> you get a lot of break downs, you pick up a lot of problems with other drivers. you get other taxi associations' drivers that work on your routes and they take your people. >> abdull gave up his taxi about a year and a half ago. it was a real gas guzzler, and went straight to the scrap heap. he traded it in for a steady job at rea vaya, which operates the country's first rapid transit bus system. abdull drives a route through soweto mainly picks up commuters on their way to work in central johannesburg. a one-way ticket costs the equivalent of one euro. this young couple prefers the

new bus system over other means of transportation. >> the main reason is expense. majority is safety and the time consumption. because there is no traffic, while the taxis there is traffic. why we are paying that money. and there is no queue here, while the taxi there is a queue. >> curvin abdull is happy he made the switch to driving a bus. he says his job is more regulated now than it was before. >> we end up working your normal shift. working six days a week and you are working eight hours. and you earn a salary which you

can work out a budget with. and you can maintain your budget and look after your family. >> most of the commuters getting off the local shuttle bus are now headed for the rea vaya express bus to johannesburg. a bus leaves every three minutes, like clockwork. >> this is much better for me. in the bus, i can relax unlike in the taxis. because there are specified seats for pregnant women. >> instead of an hour on the minibus taxi, the thwalas now take just half an hour to get to work. the express bus is not only faster, it's comfortable, and reliable, too. meanwhile curvin abdull is back at the terminal. rea vaya keeps its busses here -- they bought 143 of them, brand new. abdull is exactly on schedule, so he has time for a short

break. he gives the engine a quick look, but nothing more. >> these are very good engines. we don't suffer a lot of break downs and it is very low on fuel and diesel as well. >> the modern buses are also a boon to the environment. each bus replaces six old, smoke-belching minibus taxis. rehana moosajee was the driving force behind the new bus system. she is head of the department of transport for johannesburg. >> the city had to make a decision to start somewhere. soweto being as populous as it is. is really where we have chosen to start. of course, the project also has to contain with the city that has been apartheid specially planned. unlike most other cities which are pretty compact, johannesburg struggles with issues of urban sprawl.

>> traffic jams are not uncommon for a large city that is densely populated. every day, countless commuters struggle to make their way through city traffic. mornings and evenings, there are traffic jams that go on for kilometers. convincing drivers to make the switch to buses would help. >> rea vaya stations are very much become a part of the johannesburg streetscape. they have been conceptualized through high levels of public participation. part of that is been ensuring that if you are standing in a station you are very much interacting with the surround. and with the natural light that comes through and the glass that has been used, the natural ventilation that response to johannesburg's particularly hot summers and keeping these stations comfortable through surveillance that is linked to a control room. >> the city has invested the equivalent of 300 million euros in the green traffic initiative.

the minibus taxi drivers are less enthusiastic, however, and say the express busses are hurting their business. >> there were some very unfortunate incidents of violence directed against commuters who used the system. there has been one commuter who was killed on a rea vaya bus, and a number of commuters who were shot and injured in the early days of the operation of the system. >> the last incident was more than two years ago. since then, the number of passengers has nearly quadrupled -- it's now at 42,000 passengers daily. >> the company needs to look at how they can accommodate or supply more buses for all passengers. because there is a quite a huge volume of passengers especially during peak hours. >> many of curvin's former taxi driver friends are envious -- after exactly 8 hours of work, he's done for the evening.

>> actually having time off is a dream for millions of domestic workers around the world -- who are often on call 24 hours a day. their working conditions can be insecure, unsafe and low paid. the international labour organization estimates that the total number of people in vulnerable conditions is on the rise. around the world more than 1.5 billion people enjoy little to no legal protection. in south east asia this affects around 60% of the work force. countries like indonesia, the philippines and thailand, have a high proportion of cheap labor. workers from there often dream of a better future in singapore, asia's small island of wealth with huge demand for migrant workers. >> 30% of singapore's workforce comes from abroad. as house maids -- hoping to find employment which will help feed their families back home. for some that dream has turned

into a nightmare. analyn was beaten, kicked and humiliated but she suffered it in silence, all for the sake of her children and family back home in the philippines. but when her employer pulled her hair out and forced her to stand naked in the living room for hours on end, she couldn't take it any longer. >> i feel so sad. i wanted to keep working but couldn't take it anymore. i really could not handle how my boss was treating me. >> analyn still finds it difficult to talk about what

happened to her. she is comforted by bridget tan who opened up a shelter called home. it's funded by private sponsors to help people like analyn. the authorities in singapore seem show little interest in the plight of foreign domestic workers there. >> the employers hold their passports. sometimes they do not pay the salary. they do not allow them to communicate with their family. they cannot move up or her job mobility. sometimes, they have no option but to suffer in silence, and this is slavery-like conditions. >> singapore is a modern, affluent city, but behind the scenes, life can be hard for the poor and the powerless. over 200,000 domestic workers have found jobs in the city, but for many it is a virtual prison.

another domestic worker facing a similar plight is called waridah. her earnings help feed her three children back at home in indonesia. she hasn't seen them in two years. she is expected to be available for work, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. >> no time off. because my agency says no off days. >> there's a tiny room for domestic servants next to the laundry room. but waridah doesn't even have those two square meters to call her own -- a subletter is living there. instead, she sleeps in a corner of one of the bedrooms. her employer says there's nothing wrong with that. >> that's for the best.

we can keep an eye on her. >> this is the world where women like waridah come from. in this jakarta slum, children who grow up here learn to endure just about everything. young women who want to help their families or escape the grinding poverty often end up in places like this ((03:23)), singing lullabies in english. it's a training course for prospective domestic workers. there are thousands of courses like this one across indonesia and the philippines. dewi ranti wants to earn money to help her two brothers finish school. but she also dreams of excitement and adventure. >> singapore has lots of culture and is very rich. the often harsh reality seems a

distant propect as they diligently learn their cooking vocabulary, like chopsticks and coffee maker. meria wati, who is the mother of three children, doesn't want to believe the talk of hardship and abuse. >> i would think my boss isn't happy with my work. i would have to try harder and put my faith in god. then everything will be all right. >> maybe meria will be one of the lucky ones. back in singapore, we pay a visit to a shopping center. here, domestic workers on offer, at bargain prices. this agency promises that few of their maids are returned. the women themselves are viewed little more than merchandise. everywhere there are women sitting on chairs, hoping for work.

chlen lee blackshaw is annoyed. she's not in the mood to spend time searching for a new domestic worker. but she wants one who's more reliable than the one she has now. >> she does not come back until 9:00. next day, the monday, is always a slow day for her. when she is ok, she will not do this, she will not do that. >> this is juliana, her new domestic worker. she learns about her new responsibilities. the agency representative reminds juliana that she shouldn't fall in love with anyone since they won't be allowed to marry. next year, singapore plans to introduce a day off each week for domestic workers. that's how it's done in hong kong and taiwan. but desmond phoon, who heads the

agency, says many employers oppose it. >> the families are afraid the girls will do something silly like find a boyfriend. >> what is wrong with that? >> [laughter] that is a potential problem because the girls could get pregnant. they would have to leave singapore. then the employer is back at square one and must pay agency fees to find a new worker. >> the labor ministry won't grant an interview. the women work for private employers. that means regular labor laws don't apply to them. >> all the member states need to

follow the international conventions including those related to human rights. >> the authorities only intervene when an employer does something criminal. but first, the woman has to file charges, and most are too afraid to do that. analyn is waiting for her case to go to trial. she's recovered some of her optimism during her stay at the shelter. >> i'd like to go home. maybe there i can manage to open a small shop. >> ♪ open your hearts to the lord and begin to see the mystery that we are all together as a family ♪ >> analyn took control of her life so she has hope. but that's not the case for many other domestic workers in singapore.

>> while the legal right to a day off would be an important first step, only time will tell whether employers will fulfill their obligations. and now we take you to a very special global living room in northern tanzania. there we visit korio and his family who belong to the massai, a group of semi nomadic people who live both sides of the border with kenya. in the village of seneto he invited us to take a look around his home.

>> ok, so, guys, welcome. my name is korio. and also welcome to my room. you are welcome. ok, so, this is the place for the cows. where we live? so the wood here. wood for cooking. firewood. we just use it for burn and for cooking food. our good food is meat, milk and blood. we just mix blood with milk and then we are drinking. my wife's name is naarkirobi. yes, i have two wives. she is the first one. >> and is she ok, too? >> yes. i need to get enough cattle, like a hundred cows and then i can marry more.

we just put a little something, like jewelry, like a bracelet, a necklace, we just keep there during the night good-bye and also we need to thank you for coming to visit our village. you are welcome also. >> thanks to korio for having us, and thanks to you for joining us for this edition of global 3000. that's all we have time for this week. but don't forget to tune in again in seven days time for more reports on the global stories that matter. for now from me and the whole global team here in our berlin studios, bye bye! captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--