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.
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
like you said, it's nothing new. the public already knows of slavery in africa. the public already knows about child labor in africa. it's only a very small step to combine the 2. so it's kinda logic there are also child slaves. (other example are child soldiers )
the public already knows all this. this story is just 1 of many and nothing special or world event.
what was realy world news were those 20 slaves or so, found in the UK last summer. that was a WTF =O story.
well then, consider that plan completely screwed. not going to work at all.
It's the same problem with buying products from places with national minimum wage instead of China. A company can pay about 20 workers in the slums of China for the same price of one worker in the US or UK. People who buy the cheap products from China don't care that it came from a sweatshop. They care that it's cheap.
It's the same problem with buying products from places with national minimum wage instead of China. A company can pay about 20 workers in the slums of China for the same price of one worker in the US or UK. People who buy the cheap products from China don't care that it came from a sweatshop. They care that it's cheap.
then I guess the only real way to change it is to build up african nations and their standard of living. if we do that, it will cost the same to buy african chocolate, as it is for fair trade. I know, this one is just as far-fetched.
then I guess the only real way to change it is to build up african nations and their standard of living. if we do that, it will cost the same to buy african chocolate, as it is for fair trade. I know, this one is just as far-fetched.
No, actually this one's not quite as far-fetched. It would just require companies to put factories there. The only problem is that they're afraid to because the government is so unstable and it's tough for machinery to work in desert-like conditions.
I haven't take my economics class yet, but shouldn't the factories fuel the local economies enough that it would stabilize their economy?
Again, like I said, corrupt government, you start a factory their with fair trade, then you get popular, and the traffickers see you are taking away business, and bribe police officers to shut down the factory, when they "found" illegal substances there.
So what do you want to do about it? What happens if you don't by their chocolate? If you buy "free trade chocolate", wouldn't that just mean that the slaves would have worse conditions? Or, of course, being "Let off", which would probably involve that ditch? I don't see their condition getting better if you don't buy their chocolate. I suppose you are only hoping that they don't expand?
Well, better than more children going into an everlasting chain of slaverly and traffickers, anyway, if there isn't any money to bribe the officers, then the officers will "realize" that they have been using child slaves.
Slave labor is win. Not having to pay your workers means reduced overhead and production costs which equals less expensive goods. In an economy where money is tight then not having to pay as much for things is always great.
