a three year veteran of the job. He has never tasted chocolate.
Due to the hidden and illegal nature of people trafficking, it is almost impossible to gather statistics. According to a report by LexisNexis, between 300,000 and 1.8 million child labourers are working on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) prohibits work before the age of 15 so as not to hamper school attendance. Furthermore, the ILO outlaws ‘all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children.’ ILO regulations are allegedly broken on a daily basis in the West African cocoa industry.
BBC Panorama claims that children are often trafficked from neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso to work in the Ivorian forests. They are separated from their families, taken out of education and of course, they are not paid for their services. Farmers simply take children to avoid paying adults for their services. By western standards this is a horrific state of affairs but it is impossible for us to relate to the predicament cocoa harvesters find themselves in. Revenues are so miniscule that paying for labour is simply not an option.
Organisations like Fair Trade advocate the payment of higher prices to ensure that farmers and harvesters receive a fair price for their goods. The Fair Trade logo, displayed on several high-street favourites including Nestlé’s Kit Kat, is a guarantee that these criteria have been met in the production of the chocolate bar. The brand is hugely popular in the UK. At the time of writing there are 500 Fair Trade towns, 118 Fair Trade universities, over 6,000 Fair Trade churches and 4,000 Fair Trade schools. With this in mind, it would not be unfair to assume that products bearing the Fair Trade logo would have no connection with child labour in their supply chain.
Fair Trade guarantees that for every tonne of cocoa sold on their terms, farmers’ organisations receive an additional $150 for community investment. The aim is to provide farmers with a fair price for their product, leading to a sustainable future and eradicating the necessity to resort to child labour.
However,
BBC Panorama alleged otherwise in its 2010 documentary Chocolate – The Bitter Truth. Panorama showed that due to a lack of administration in the supply chain, cocoa gathered illegally via child labour was sold in Europe as Fair Trade chocolate. This naturally caused controversy upon release but Fair Trade’s general response was not one of humiliation. The group actually welcomed the raised public awareness of the harsh reality of cocoa farming in West Africa. Fair Trade pointed out that, as only 1% of global cocoa is traded on their terms, it is almost impossible to guarantee a traffic-free supply chain. The likelihood is simple - we have all eaten chocolate produced on a supply chain linked with child labour.
Stopthetraffik.org is also working hard to bring an end to human trafficking in the chocolate industry and note the fact that as consumers act we are seeing changes. Chocolate companies are responding to a public more aware of the situation and an ever-growing number of campaign groups. Verkade, Swiss Noir, Cadbury, Nestlé and Mars now supply us with stopthetraffik.org certified chocolate bars. The group has also identified six steps that chocolate companies should take to finally bring an end to child trafficking in the industry. You can see these here:
http://www.stopthetraffik.org/campaign/chocolate/page/chocolate-box
The simple fact is that cocoa farmers are generally underpaid in a hugely profitable, demanding and western-orientated market. If farmers continue to be so blatantly underpaid, it could be some time before child labour is finally ridden from the industry. Ultimately, it is down to us, the consumers, to support these initiatives and bring an end to trafficking.
By Tom Evans
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