Chocolate and Slavery

[1096]

1. The Issue

There is a surprising association between chocolate and child labor in the Cote d'Ivoire. Young children whose ages range from 12 to 16 (sometimes younger) 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.

2. Description

Slavery and the Link to Chocolate

Slave traders are trafficking children ranging from the age of 12 to 16 from their home countries and are selling them to cocoa farmers in Cote d'Ivoire. They work on small farms across the country, harvesting the cocoa beans day and night, under inhumane conditions. Most of the children come from neighboring Mali, where agents hang around bus stations looking for children that are alone or are begging for food. They lure the kids to travel to Cote d'Ivoire with them, and then the traffickers sell the children to farmers in need of cheap labor (Raghavan, "Lured...").

The connection between chocolate and slavery 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...

...By 2005, the chocolate industry plans to establish a system that publicly certifies cocoa as not having been produced by children, using a process that traces from where cocoa is supplied (Chocolate Manufacturers Association, "Signed Protocol").

-If you read the last bit "By 2005..." you will be shocked to discover that recent journalists have uncovered that any worthy attempts to do this have been futile-

Hershey's and M&M/Mars alone control two-thirds of the $13 billion U.S. chocolate candy market. The result? An industry marred with child slavery, unsafe working conditions and a cycle of poverty with no end in sight for cocoa farmers. Chocolate companies are not held accountable for sourcing practices, and despite their knowledge about the travesties that occur on cocoa farms, they lack the will to change.

The U.S. chocolate industry has faced multiple deadlines requiring new protocol, and yet little has changed. Under pressure from Congress, in the Harken-Engel Protocol, the U.S. chocolate industry agreed to voluntarily take steps to end child slavery on cocoa farms by July of 2005. This deadline has since passed, and the chocolate industry has failed to comply with the terms of this agreement.

So think twice about the next chocolate you buy, spread the knowledge and read the label to ensure you're not supporting such bullshit.

[Bernard]

I half expected to find this on snopes.com, but there wasn't anything listed there. I did find what appears to be the source for this info:

http://www.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm

[brain]

Sadly it's a fact, had it in my Social Studies
Class when we were studying in International
Countries - which it's not just Chocolate, but
you'll be surprised when you ring up Coffee,
Tea, and Cotton - heavy in Slavery in those
areas too - in the past.



But today they have a fancy schmancy name
for it "Sweat Shops". Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Reality Smeality ~ and it's still going on, and
it bothers my son and I. People think "China",
but it's not "China" - it's all over the place,
but you've got to really get into it and look
around. SAD! Even more sadder when they are
using a child for their factory labors, but of course
the media has exposed this numerous of times.

[alivenwell]

Wow, now I really feel guilty when I go for that chocolate fix.

[Loudmouth]

Do you have Green & Black's chocolate over there? It's ethically sourced and teh most yummy dark chocolate ever to boot. they do hot choclate granules that you can sprinle in warm milk or even on your ice cream as it's real ground choc. YUM!

[haird18]

Here in the U.S. slavery of children is well known and in China it is very normal it is sad deal just as Sharon says.You just don't see it. Some major companys do it all the time!
David

[jazz'smum]

That is terrible! sure it does go on a lot, and some things are really awful ..very sad!

[1096]

Do you have Green & Black's chocolate over there? It's ethically sourced and teh most yummy dark chocolate ever to boot. they do hot choclate granules that you can sprinle in warm milk or even on your ice cream as it's real ground choc. YUM!

haha yeah! my mum went out and bought 6 or 7 blocks of the stuff when she found out about the slavery... think its the only chocolate well be eating from now on