Slavery in cocoa plantations, even away from us, remains a reality. In the nation with the first place in cocoa production that is Ivory Coast, enslaving children of their neighbors Beninese and the Beninese provide the children from their own. In benin, chiefs and family in the village decide which children will be trafficked, who deceive this children telling them they’re going to a better place so that no problems arise in the transaction

 

What happens to these children in the cocoa plantations?

Documentaries like the dark side of chocolate, open our eyes to child slavery, where children are locked up against their will, to work on isolated cocoa plantations

In the documentary, when interviewing children who were released, it is disclosed that this children were beaten and abused; they had to carry sacks filled with cocoa beans, above their weight, where if they fell, they were beaten up until they stood up again

 

How can there be slavery even in the 21st century?

Child slave labor varies among children from age 11 to 16, which are enclosed in isolated plantations where they work 80 to 100 hours per week

In another interview released, one of the children said, “You enjoy something that was made with my suffering. I worked hard for them, without any benefit. You are eating my flesh. “

 

What is being done to change this situation?

The FDA wants to pass a legislation to implement the free from slavery seal on labels since 2001, a process that chocolate companies stopped with money and the promise to end child labor in their companies before 2005. This period has been stopped, and now the goal to stop child labor is 2020, while the number of children working in cocoa plantations increased by 51%

Legal action was taken against mars, nestle and hershey among others, which are funding the child slave labor in West Africa

Brands that we should stop funding?

Chocolate brands that use cocoa from child labor are:

hershey, mars, nestle, adm cocoa, godiva, fowlers

 

What other options do we have to consume chocolate?

Costco’s Kirkland chocolate chips are an example at a good price and safe, with a good excuse to increase your creativity, here are several recipes

http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/chocolate-and-sea-salt-desserts#.ej0ZeKP2jw

Also look for shorter production lines on the label, or the seal of international fairtrade which is a  green blue logo for international brands

 

How can we support further?

http://sumofus.org/ is a page that brings international support gathering signatures online. They believe that the world doesn’t have to be unfair and that the secret is to not keep buying products from a bad company and that in an ethical way we can keep getting products we love, without supporting abusers

“I alone can not change the world, but I can throw a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa