Think twice about eating it by Michael Rodriguez

                        Think twice about eating it!

Dear reader,

Can you imagine you as a child in the Ivory Coast being forced to work, slashing cocoa pods from trees with machetes and gathering them in piles? These kids aren’t paid and aren’t free to leave. These children are entrapped as slaves.

What is the role children play in the production of chocolate? According to the documentary “the dark side of chocolate” it states “the kid ranging from ages 7 to 15 work on small farms, harvesting the cocoa beans from which chocolate is made. Also according to the video clips from cnn’s freedom project the kids are forced to slash cocoa pods from trees with machetes. This is some very dangerous work and the children could get hurt. The children’s are also forced to weed, maintain the cocoa trees, and dry the cocoa beans. They play a big part in the production of chocolate. What is the impact of the labor on the children? According to the same video clip, due to the child slavery in the Ivory Coast some children can’t attend school. Some of the children that are forced to work, harvesting the cocoa beans, haven’t even tasted chocolate.

What are some of the courses of action open to the public? According to the article “reverse trick or treaters deliver fair trade chocolate” it states “the reverse trick or treating campaign is an effort to raise awareness about the prevalence of child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa.” In the cocoa industry, fair trade standards that farmers receive a premium of $150 on top of market prices for each ton of cocoa they produce, as long as they meet specified labor standards. For example, field workers must not be younger than 15 years of age unless their education is jeopardized and they do not perform particularly hazardous tasks. Reverse trick or treating is an effort to raise awareness about the prevalence of child labor on cocoa in West Africa. The second course of action is to join the campaign to Raise the Bar.The report “Time to raise the bar: the real CSR report for the Hershey company” (issued by global change, green America, international labor rights forum, and oasis USA) calls on Hershey to “raise the bar” and adopt fair trade certification for its bestselling bar by 2012, and all of its top selling chocolate products by 2022.

Next time you take a bite of chocolate think twice. Think about the misery it is causing and the lives it is putting in danger.

                            Yours sincerely,

                                                       Michael Rodriguez