Have another CHOCOLATE
When people eat chocolate, they are eating my flesh. - Drissa, a child slave in Côte d'Ivoire
Child slaves may have made your chocolate. According to the television programme, Slavery, made for the BBC by Kate Blewett and Brian Woods of True Vision, thousands of children in Central and West Africa are being stolen from their parents, shipped to the Ivory Coast and sold as slaves to cocoa farmers.
These children earn no money for their work, and are barely fed. They are beaten if they try to escape, and most will never see their families again. Nearly 50% of the world's cocoa supply is grown in the Ivory Coast.
...but be sure it's slave-free
What Steven Millman did
Steven saw the television programme and was so appalled he had to act:
Steven's information takes two forms. First, he wrote over 200 letters to many of the world's great chocolate manufacturers to find out if they are making sure that their chocolate has no slavery involved. He has posted their responses. Second, he compiled a links page with relevant news sources and organisations.
2 December is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Steven's letter sent to over 200 chocolate manufacturers:
Hi! - There has been a ton of information in the news over the last few months about the child slavery used in the harvesting of cocoa in the Ivory Coast. I love your chocolates, but I can't bear the thought of eating chocolate made by child slaves. Do you guys do anything to ensure that no child slavery is used in the production of your cocoa? Thanks, Steven
All replies and the companies that didn't reply are posted on Steven's website.
Take Action
Avoid eating slave chocolate. Go to Stephen's website: www.radicalthought.org
Click on the Companies Page to find out whose chocolate is made without child slavery. Don’t eat any chocolate that has been made using child labour. To be sure, eat only organic or fair trade chocolate.
One easy way of identifying slave-free chocolate is to buy chocolate made organically. There are no organic farms in the areas where slavery is used. Any chocolate bearing a 'Fairtrade' or 'Max Havelaar' logo will also be free of slavery.
If you are inspired by what Steven did, then you could do something similar about an issue close to your heart.
Find Out More
Steven Millman's website: www.radicalthought.org
True Vision website: www.truevisiontv.com
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Many of the products that you consume are tainted by slavery.
Buy organic or fair trade chocolate to make sure that the chocolate you eat is slave free.
