Did you know that most of the major chocolate companies around the globe utilize child labor as a means of production? 40 percent of the world’s cocoa supply derives from West Africa’s Ivory Coast, where some of the most serious cases of the exploitation of kids occur, according to Equal Exchange, a free trade group.
With Halloween right around the corner, the Equal Exchange is trying to spread awareness of this issue through a program called “Reverse Trick Or Treating.”
Infuriated with the situation at hand, people have decided to take a stand against the use of child labor.
The Equal Exchange Fair Trade Company has been working with Global Exchange in order to educate the world about what is going on in West Africa and many other sites of human exploitation.
This region has a long history of forced labor, dating back to the 1800’s. Although such atrocities are technically illegal, the government officials choose to turn a blind eye to all the issues regarding the candy companies’ methods of manufacturing cocoa.
Children are mistreated in the factories and are expected to produce in mass quantities in horrible working conditions. Not only are they not given the basic human rights that every worker should be entitled to, they are also deprived of an education.
The young kids cannot go to school and become educated if they are at work for long hours, meaning they have little hope for any alternative future other than submitting to the vicious cycle of underpaid labor which is culturally accepted in regions such as the Ivory Coast.
They work in tandem with individual farmers that own and self-govern their own small cocoa farms instead of large chocolate companies that use inhumane methods of production. These small farms come together to combine energy and resources and strive to work together to split the costs of Organic Certification and other regulations and taxes.
In order to participate and become involved with this program, students and parents at SJHHS should put pressure on big candy companies to change their policies of allowing child labor by boycotting the purchase of such products.
When trick-or-treaters come to the door, people will be surprised to find that a child might be giving them the treat of a Fair Trade chocolate and a flyer enclosing information about the organization.
In hopes of improving incomes, working conditions, health and the education of workers, help the cause this Halloween and order your candy from the Equal Exchange website at shop.equalexchange.com. Do your part and fight the battle for justice of children around the globe!
With Halloween right around the corner, the Equal Exchange is trying to spread awareness of this issue through a program called “Reverse Trick Or Treating.”
Infuriated with the situation at hand, people have decided to take a stand against the use of child labor.
The Equal Exchange Fair Trade Company has been working with Global Exchange in order to educate the world about what is going on in West Africa and many other sites of human exploitation.
This region has a long history of forced labor, dating back to the 1800’s. Although such atrocities are technically illegal, the government officials choose to turn a blind eye to all the issues regarding the candy companies’ methods of manufacturing cocoa.
Children are mistreated in the factories and are expected to produce in mass quantities in horrible working conditions. Not only are they not given the basic human rights that every worker should be entitled to, they are also deprived of an education.
The young kids cannot go to school and become educated if they are at work for long hours, meaning they have little hope for any alternative future other than submitting to the vicious cycle of underpaid labor which is culturally accepted in regions such as the Ivory Coast.
They work in tandem with individual farmers that own and self-govern their own small cocoa farms instead of large chocolate companies that use inhumane methods of production. These small farms come together to combine energy and resources and strive to work together to split the costs of Organic Certification and other regulations and taxes.
In order to participate and become involved with this program, students and parents at SJHHS should put pressure on big candy companies to change their policies of allowing child labor by boycotting the purchase of such products.
When trick-or-treaters come to the door, people will be surprised to find that a child might be giving them the treat of a Fair Trade chocolate and a flyer enclosing information about the organization.
In hopes of improving incomes, working conditions, health and the education of workers, help the cause this Halloween and order your candy from the Equal Exchange website at shop.equalexchange.com. Do your part and fight the battle for justice of children around the globe!
