Well, if you guys don't know yet, plantations in Africa, specifically the Ivory Coast, use child slaves to harvest cocao beans. They are either kidnapped from their homes, usually from poverty, or are falsely misleaded into their families taking them to work in "good" conditions "fair Pay" and will come back in "2-3 months". Then they are taken to the boarder of Africa, where they meet bribed officers who let them through, and then go to the deepest of jungles, where hidden cocao plantations are held. They work fthe entire day, resting for anly a few hours, and fed a corn paste, only enough to survive. If somone cannot carry a bag, they are brutally tortured and beaten by their captors. They keep working until death, then their corpse is thrown into a ditch. This cocao is bought by several chocolate companies, who's headquarters is in AFRICA. Some companies include, Hershey, Mars, Nestley, and most chocolate manufacturers. They have signed a contract that by the early 2000's they would only get fair-trade chocolate, but it is 2012. They have signed another contract, but how can we believe them again? You can get fair-trade chocolate at certain stores, or online. This has been going on for decades. The government in the Ivory Coast has made using child slaves illegal, but there is so much corruption in their government, it is all most inpossible to stop without everyone's help. Please, please, support fair-trade chocolate and try to spread the information. Though Hershey has only discovered this a few years ago, they signed another document promising that they will stop using non-fair trade chocolate. Thanks for listening to this issue, and, well, bye.
they actually go into the stories that most news stations wouldn't dare touch. they've done quite a few so far, but I don't know if they have reported the slavery chocolate.
It's not that it's a touchy subject, it's just that no one cares and it's viewed as boring news compared to other important things, like war or politics or sports.
Sorry for the double post. I'm sure most of you are sitting there scratching your heads wondering what I'm talking about. Meant to say Ratings instead of view count. I got lost for words and wrote the first thing that came to mind.
What I say: Screw the view count! Slavery (and chocolate) is important!
You can try writing a strongly-worded letter to the president to see if something happens. You might get on the news for that, so you can spread the word from there.
That just might work. I'll have to begin composing one. It would help though if we got a group of people to write them. Then they will see that it's a pressing issue.
EmperorPalpatine, and Rayce002, people have done that, many people I know of have been doing that for years. Writing, calling, and even going to Africa. It never works. I think we once sent US troops there, I'm not sure. But they "didn't" find anything. The government (of the Ivory Coast) there is too corrupt, and there is too much poverty, I'm just trying to get the word out about it.
it toke the UN 10 years of civil war befor they acted on the blood diamonds. and still today they are fighting over it. chocolet is waaaaaayyyyyyy less importend then diamonds are. so you could count till 200 year and they still don't care. it's bad. but hey... the world isn't always happy happy joy joy.
So you say the forced slaverly and abuse of children on poverty, working on a cocao platation isn't important at all? I'm not saying for anyone to do anything, other than spread the information, as I have been saying over and over. In the words of Freakz1 ""
So you say the forced slaverly and abuse of children on poverty, working on a cocao platation isn't important at all?
It's not that it's unimportant, just percieved as less important. There's too much other stuff going on. It's like going to a hospital for your cold during a natural disaster.
Like I said for the I don't know how many-ith time, I'm not writing a call to action, I Am Just Informing People. I'm not saying spend all of the hard earned money you don't have buying free trade chocolate, or donating to the cause. I'm just telling people about this.
Stop? This has been going on for decades. If we can't do anything, then we can athleast inform the public. This is about child slaves, not about ranting how useless this topic is.
I'VE GOT IT! I know how you can end the slavery entirely. you need to make free trade chocolate popular! if it becomes a growing trend, then corporations that want your money will have to root out the non free trade suppliers. it might be a little more expensive, but I'm sure somebody will pay a few extra cents when they hear kids in africa are no longer being whipped because they bought it.
now for realistic views, we don't care, but if we understood, that would put us on the road to carring.
