It is hard to believe that in this day and age, slavery is alive and well all across the globe. This often is practiced with the complicity of government officials and business leaders. Today I am going to look at this horrid practice in relation to just one issue- chocolate.The stage- the Ivory Coast in Western Africa. The scene- thousands of children plowing away as slave labor in large cocoa plantations wielding machetes as they work countless hours. The year- 2007! The result- the chocolate you consume in the forms of candy bars and other delectable pleasures. Yes, that’s right. That glass of chocolate milk at breakfast or those candy bars that your kids sell at school for the latest fundraiser are the products of slave labor. Not a pleasant thought, huh?
This sad saga is nothing new. Unfortunately, though, to date nothing substantive has been done about it. Oh there was the ‘outrage’ expressed way back in 2001 by the US Congress. There was the threat to require chocolate makers to certify that their products were ‘slave free’. Imagine that- no question that slaves were actually being used in the cocoa plantations, just that the labeling would have to reflect this! And the response? Oh the horror, the chocolate industry replied. Consumers might boycott our products resulting in lower revenues meaning lower payments to producers which would result in more slaves. The bill, of course, never reached the House-Senate conference committee. The chocolate industry then joined together and declared that they would work together to put an end to this practice by 2005 in a declaration known as the Cocoa Protocol. Just give us a few years, they said...
Well, the deadline came and went and nothing was done. In fact, the deadline was extended to 2008. Congress is once again expressing their ‘outrage’ with Democratic Congressman Eliot Engel declaring, "The deadline came and went and we were very unhappy. They now need to live up to that agreement. If they don't, personally I would be for implementing some sanctions, because I think six years is enough.” Wow- tough talk. I am sure they are really scared.
Meanwhile back on the plantations, life is miserable for the kids that have been sold or traded to these plantation owners. School is not an option for most and the fear of beatings is all too real. The kids are piled into one small hut and sleep on wooden planks. The windows are sealed shut to prevent any of them from trying to escape, although most are too afraid to attempt it as they would be beaten if they were caught.
The Ivory Coast Government has created what they call a model village named Petit Yammousoukro which they claim is a model project under the auspices of the Cocoa Protocol. The village proudly showcases a school at one end and pronounces that this is an example of the chocolate industry’s commitment to end slave labor and put kids back in school. The school, a mud hut, was built by the villagers themselves. The American Government, through USAID provided the school with wooden desks and a blackboard. The chocolate industry provided nothing. The school opened in January of this year, over five years after the Cocoa Protocol was signed.
The American and British chocolate manufacturers claim to know nothing about the project in Petit Yammousoukro and the sad reality is that after many years, nothing has been done. Unfortunately, nothing will get done as long as these companies continue to rake in the profits from this operation. They will continue to claim that progress is being made and that all they need is a little more time. As Susan Smith of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association in the United States put it, “This is a long term project. I think I've learned that they're moving forward on pilots.”
Talk and more talk! Unfortunately for these slave children, every day that passes increases their despair and the very struggle to survive becomes even more difficult.
Visit Stop The Traffik today and see what you can do to stop this despicable practice.
Watch and Weep...
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