Chocolate is not as Sweet as it Seems
by Steve Shemesh
November 2008
Most people of the 21st century find it hard to believe that anyone could dislike chocolate. Children living in the Ivory Coast of Africa have a very different view towards the irresistible product. It is a proven fact that there is a great deal of child slave labor in the production of cocoa beans. More than half of the chocolate in America can be traced back to the slave labor on the Ivory Coast. A large portion of the child slave labor in the country today is due to the cocoa bean industry.
Young boys, ages 12 to 16 are sold into slavery everyday to harvest cocoa beans, from which chocolate is made. These poor children are forced to work in dangerous working conditions, and receive harsh abuse daily. A recent study on the conditions of West African cocoa farms shows that nearly 300,000 children work in inhumane conditions on farms in the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. Of these 300,000 children, 64 percent are under the age of 14. Only 5,100 children were paid for there brutal work days. The remaining of the mistreated kids were expected to devote their time to the punishing work needed during the harsh harvest season free of charge. Some of the best know chocolate companies are responsible for supporting the slave labor induced on children in Africa. Companies such as Hershey’s, M&M’s/Mars, Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland, Cadbury, Guittard, and Bernard Callebaut import cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast. It is completely mind boggling to hear that your favorite candy bar can be traced back to slave labor in foreign countries. Because of the large demand for chocolate in America, child slave labor does not have any signs of slowing down.
An average of 6,000 cocoa farms exist in Cote d’Ivoire (Child Labor Coalition). Estimates shows that about 15,000 children work in horrendous conditions everyday. They receive little or no pay, and are neglected food. At most children receive corn paste as a meal for the day. At night, workers are locked up to prevent escape. Children live in this torturous environment for the sole reason of producing chocolate, a luxury for people in wealthier countries. The ignorance of the wealthy is exemplified through the continuation of chocolate purchases, regardless of the fact that millions of children have been denied the most basic rights.
Human trafficking and slavery is a major problem on the African continent. This problem is primarily due to the chocolate industry. 90% of the cocoa bean production in Ivory Coast is powered through slave labor. It is no surprise that lucrative companies such as Nestle and Cadbury are involved in laborious acts. In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly defined human trafficking as “the illegal and clandestine movement of persons across national and international borders…with the end goal of forcing women and children into…Economically oppressive and exploitative situations for profit…” For many it is hard to fathom that slavery still exists in the 21st century. Many associate slavery with the times prior to Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, it still exists, and is currently at an all time high. A reported 700,000 children and women are trafficked around the world annually. This human trafficking makes a profit of about 7 billion dollars a year. A UNICEF study reports that 200,000 children are trafficked yearly in West and Central Africa. Some countries are suppliers and receivers of children, while others are mere transit points. The amount of human trafficking in Africa is truly unbelievable. It is intangible to some, to understand that a human being can be sold and bought.
There are many reasons as to why slave labor came into existence in Africa. Cote d’Ivoire is considered a developing country, and like many other developing countries, the Ivory Coast carries a large international debt. In an attempt to repay their debt, they decided to grow cash crops. A cash crop is a crop grown for the purposes of making money. For the struggling country, the cocoa bean seemed like the only way out of debt. The cocoa trade is responsible for one third of the Ivory Coast’s economy. Unfortunately, as more countries produced cash crops, the prices began to drop rapidly. The Ivory Coast is now in fourteen billion dollars of debt. As the farmers began to lose profits, they searched for an easy way out. Slavery enabled them to increase profits when the economy dropped.
It is a harsh reality to imagine that a product intended to bring joy to people all over the world is created unjustly. Unfortunately, happiness is associated with candy bars although the production destroys children’s lives. I believe it is necessary to greatly diminish the use of slave labor of any sort in today’s economy. Implementing a “fair trade” act could do this. In a fair trade system, purchasers of chocolate products agree to pay above market price for the products. The extra money is intended to help the small farms and cooperatives selling the products to make lasting improvements in their communities, by going towards schools, hospitals, and other improvements in infrastructure. Fair trade will ensure fair pay for the products farmers sell, and protection for children. Buying cocoa for a fair price will guarantee farmers the income they need in order to live substantially. Farmers will also be able to pay their workers fair wages. This may also increase the demand for chocolate due to the guarantee of just production and harvesting.
Child Slave Labor is a lot more evident than most people think. Children are put into life threatening positions, and deprived the most fundamental human rights to produce an unimportant product in today’s society. Chocolate is a luxury not a necessity. Why should innocent children be trafficked everyday to produce it? The awareness for child slavery around the world must grow to diminish the amount of mistreated workers. One day the world will recognize the severity of this situation and make positive movements towards the extinction of slavery. Until then the fate of child slaves lies in the hands of large dominating companies such as Nestle, Hershey and M&M/Mars.
Sources Used:
http://www.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2003/02/14/chocolate/index.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/12373/
http://www.anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/chocolates1.htm
http://vision.uscd.edu~kbranson/stopchocolateslavery/main.html