Tuesday, July 08, 2008

The bitter price of chocolate

Neil and I love chocolate. In the evening, after dinner there is usually a little (or bigger than little) bar passed back and forth. And without fail, every time I tell him that he’s spoiling his chocolate by crunching it like an apple, straight out of the fridge. I like mine softer and warmer, so it melts.

I got the World Vision newsletter and checked out the don’t trade lives website http://www.donttradelives.com.au/ article on child slavery in cocoa bean industry. All of a sudden the truth became a little bitter.

An excerpt from the "Don't Trade Lives" article:
“Over the last 10 years, the international media has begun to expose the use of child labour in the cocoa industry. Some media reports have claimed that in the worst cases children as young as six are being forced to work 80-100 hours a week, enduring beatings and malnutrition.”

I support World Vision with all my heart for working so hard and diligently to reduce poverty, bring justice and, empower communities to more sustainable life.

So instead of feeling guilty about the next bite of smooth dark, here is what we can do to help the cause “You and I should not boycott our favourite chocolates, since this only hurts poor farming families even more. Instead, we should use our voices to demand ethical chocolate from manufacturers, and our purchasing power to support ethical chocolate.”

Look for the Fair trade logo!

1 comment:

Mike Brady said...

Thanks for this. For a new report on child slavery in the cocoa supply chain and other action that can be taken see:
http://globaljusticeideas.blogspot.com/2008/07/chocolate-crisis.html