Your Next Bite Of Chocolate By: Nathalie Silverio 601

                                                                                                      

                                          
                                                          YOUR NEXT BITE OF CHOCOLATE
                                                                 BY: NATHALIE SILVERIO 601

Dear chocolate lover,

          Imagine working as a slave on a hot sunny day getting paid just a dollar or less a day. This is how most of 5 to 12 year old slaves work on the cocoa of Ivory Coast. “There are kids right now suffering from back pain and other ergonomic neck issues just so we can have chocolate”. States the article Reverse Trick -Or- Treaters by Ben Block.

         

          Children play a critical role in making chocolate. Kids are being kidnapped daily and brought to Ivory Coast. They are being treated with no respect. They use dangerous tools like machetes to cut down the cocoa. When the fields are pesticides the children might get poisoned. The fertilizers might also affect the children. “In 2006 132 children were trafficked. In 2007 140 children were trafficked. 2008-2009 150 children were rescued”. “75% of the world’s cocoa is produced by Ivory Coast and West African countries”. “The farmers paid 1 Euro (1.27 dollars) for a kilo of cocoa beans, from 1 kilo you can make 40 chocolate bars according to the documentary “The Dark Side of Chocolate”. What a big gap between the profit made by Hershey’s and other chocolate companies and what farmers earn.

          The First course of action is raising awareness among the public. Did you know that the largest US Company is not taking action to end the child and forced labor and adopt Fair Trade certified cocoa? In the article Bitter Chocolate (US News Wired) Cote d’ Ivory is the predominant destination for trafficked and migrant workers” and “The overwhelming majority of respondents moved to cocoa farms without their natural parents or guardians”.

          Another course of action is Reverse Trick- or –Treating. This is when children go out trick or treating and every time they collect candy they give back a fair trade chocolate. “In the cocoa industry, fair trade standards grantee that farmers receive a premium of $150.00 on top market prices of 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, such as wielding a machete or applying pesticides. The program reasons that higher paid farmers are less likely to rely on child labor. According to the article “Reverse Trick- or -theaters by Ben Block.

          Candy has consumed children instead of the other way around, “Five, six and seven year old hands slave to make my candy I can’t live without.” “Little chocolate hands lead to small chocolate faces, eyes filled with the hope of more than just a dollar a day.” The lines from Cocoa Beans by Frieda Dennis Cooper haunt us as we bite into the next delicious Hershey bar.

                                                                                      Yours truly

                                                                                      Nathalie Silverio