INFO: THE CHOCOLATE STORY (part 2 of 3)—Chocolate: The Bitter/Sweet

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Chocolate Slavery

Chocolate and child slavery

There is a surprising association between chocolate and child labor in the Cote d'Ivoire. Young boys whose ages range from 12 to 16 have been sold into slave labor and are forced to work in cocoa farms in order to harvest the beans, from which chocolate is made, under inhumane conditions and extreme abuse. This West African country is the leading exporter of cocoa beans to the world market. Thus, the existence of slave labor is relevant to the entire international economic community. Through trade relations, many actors are inevitably implicated in this problem, whether it is the Ivorian government, the farmers, the American or European chocolate manufacturers, or consumers who unknowingly buy chocolate. Discussions have arisen regarding how to respond to the problem. Issues mentioned include causes of slave labor relating to the economic system and to the country's dependence on an unstable export crop. There are also debates concerning the appropriate response from the chocolate industry, government officials, and consumers concerning whether there should be boycotting, establishment of government legislation to put "made by slaves" labels on products, or whether some type of international cooperation is needed to ensure improved working conditions. The complexity of the problem makes finding an effective solution a challenging task.

 

 

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Chocolate - Not So Sweet Afterall (The Côte d'Ivoire Story)


The Ivory Coast (Republic of Côte d'Ivoire) remains the world's leading cocoa producer. In Cote dIvoire, child slave labor is the main labour force, which has made Cote dIvoire notorious for its production, exportation, and harsh child slave treatment. Child slave labor is inexpensive and easily attainable. This makes it the primary choice for the cocoa harvest. Child slave labour has not only crowned Cote dIvoire as the top producer and exporter in cocoa but has also made it the reigning champ in harsh child treatment. The slaves lack the opportunity for education, leaving them in a life of poverty. Specifically 66% of child cocoa workers in the Ivory Coast did not attend school and About 64% of children on cocoa farms are under age 14. To this day the children of West Africa are trapped in desperation and slave labour.

The horrendous conditions under which children must toil on the cocoa farms of the Cote d'Ivoire are even more jarring when the facts are juxtaposed with the idea that much of this cocoa will ultimately end up producing something that most people associate with happiness and pleasure: chocolate. The connection serves to illustrate that the existence of misery in one part of the world and joy in another part are no longer divorced as nations are connected together in a globalized web of trade. Thus, the pleasure that people from various nations around the world are deriving from these chocolate confections could possibly be at the expense of child slaves in Africa. The problem of child slavery then is not simply a faraway abstraction with no immediate implications for anybody else except those who are directly affected, but rather it is an issue that everybody around the world should be concerned about and demand action to eradicate.

 

 

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The dark side of chocolate

Posted by Administrator Jun 11th
Category: Human Rights

Watch this documentary. Vote against child labor and end human trafficking: www.thedarksideofchocolate.org

"Since 2001, chocolate consumers around the world have voiced their concern about child labor and trafficking on cocoa farms in West Africa.  Despite millions of dollars and tons of public relations campaigns over the years, the worst forms of child labor and trafficking continue to occur in the cocoa supply chains of major US chocolate companies like Hershey, M&M/Mars and Nestle."

From: www.unionvoice.org
Take action now at the link above. Boycott them and let them know that you do not support violence.
This is besides their environmental destruction. 

Spread the word, change the WORLD!

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Whittaker's Chocolate Lovers

 

The making of 'Whittaker's Chocolate Lovers'