Behind Chocolate’s Bars
March 10, 2008 by globalgirlnetwork
By Idelette McVicker
Nearly 200 years ago, about 300,000 people in Great Britain refused to eat sugar in protest against the use of slave labour in the production of sugar. Their combined protest had a powerful effect: retailers quickly sourced alternative suppliers and declared their sugar to be slave free.
Few people are aware, however, that there are more slaves in our world today than there were then. This global slave trade is called human trafficking and according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, it is the fastest growing industry in the world.
While the sex industry drives much of the people trafficking today, there is another industry, close to many hearts, that carries a deep secret. An estimated 12,000 children have been trafficked into Cote d’Ivoire to work on small cocoa farms. Nearly half of the world’s chocolate comes from Cote d’Ivoire.
“Twelve thousand children bought and sold so that we may enjoy cheap chocolate,” says the short YouTube movie “Chocolate with a Hereford flavour”
Traffic-free Guarantee
Stop the Traffik, a global coalition fighting against people trafficking, says: “We want all chocolate companies to be able to stamp onto their chocolate wrappers a guarantee that the cocoa beans have not been harvested by trafficked labour. We can then choose to eat chocolate with a Traffik Free Guarantee.”
Since finding out about the slave labour involved in cocoa production, only fair trade chocolate comes into our home. Fair trade chocolate is also traffic-free chocolate.
Soon it will be Easter and we have a choice: We can say no to chocolate that doesn’t carry the traffic-free guarantee. In doing so, we may be part of a global act of protest that demands from the chocolate industry a guarantee that our chocolate is slave-free. It’s a simple act of protest, but if we all did it, the chocolate companies will need to take notice. And there’s a child in Cote d’Ivoire who would surely like to thank us later.
Here are three things you can do in response:
1. Buy fair trade, traffic-free chocolate.
For a list of places where you can shop for chocolate in your country, check out Stop the Traffik’s Good Chocolate Guide.
2. Sign Stop the Traffik’s Global Declaration.
Add your name to the 1.5 million people who have already signed the Global Declaration, saying “Prevent the sale of people, prosecute the trafficker and protect the victims.”
3. Pray.
Every two weeks we send out Human Trafficking prayer directives to help direct your prayers on this issue. If you would like to add your name to the list to receive these emails, please contact us.
About Idelette:
Idelette McVicker is the founder and editor of www.globalgirlnetwork.com. She spends her days enjoying her young family and practicing the basics of the abundant Life. You can find her blog at www.idelette.com.
