Ohhhhh chocolates.... yummy, yummy chocolates

Do you indulge in eating chocolates?  The yummy, delicious, delectable, rich and scrumptious chocolate has a dark side.....

The Dark Side Of Chocolate

Most of us are chocolate lovers but no-one really knows what’s behind those delicious sweets. Would you stand up for the children collecting the cocoa nibs for our chocolate? Would you ignore the fact that children like you and me are blind in their suffering and working in bad conditions? This is the dark side of chocolate that many people have not realised---child labour. 

Child labour is a very big issue especially in the process of chocolate. This is happening in Ivory Coast and in many other places in Africa. These poor children are lured by traffickers to work in cocoa plantations or farms. Young boys from ages 12-16 are kidnapped, tricked and forced to work. They think they are helping themselves and their parents by working obediently for their masters. The truth is, they’re not. These kids are abused and ill-treated by their masters for no reason. The biggest problem in chocolate manufacturers is that people don’t do anything about the enslaved children. These cold-hearted people are just using these children to get money and telling the whole world false information.

Children don’t deserve a childhood full of work. What have they done to deserve such abuse? They were born poor, yes and they want to help their parents and family. But to get into child labour is not right for the human society and for them. These children that work so hard just to avoid being beaten up should be holding pens in their hands, going to school and having friends.

But how can this be possible if there is no one to make the first step and get justice for these children? You, me, us. The whole world has to work together to tackle this situation of child labour. Is this right? Is this fair?

By: Liezl

Who would you rather stand up for? The children who are working so hard, but then at the

same time are getting abused. Or for the chocolate that you eat? Do you know the ugliness behind chocolate?

Do you know, who is collecting the cocoa nibs to help make all your favourite chocolates? For example: KitKat, Mars, Hershey’s, Moro Bar, Snickers etc, because if you didn’t know about this then you can learn more about it.

Children mainly boys at the age of 12-16yrs are being forced and enslaved, to work in cocoa farms in order to collect the beans. These boys are mostly found from Mali, West Africa, Ivory Coast, Ghana etc. in short in African countries.

Why did this become such a big issue? Well it became a big issue, because the chocolate manufacturers  ignored the fact  that children were used to collect the chocolate nibs they make chocolate. So they told the world incorrect facts, because they are more concerned about the profit and economic gain.

I think this should stop because child labour is not good. People all over the world can help these children by not tolerating this abuse. Write to the manufacturers and inform them of this and you don’t like this happening. Manufacturers should inform the countries of source of chocolate that they have to stop or else they will not support their product or they will go elsewhere. The worst part is when we don’t support the products they sell.  Manufacturers need to act and be responsible for this issue.  Would they prefer cheap cocoa nibs and have great profits? Or let these children suffer?  For the children who were in these enslavery, manufacturers should help their families and provide education that was not given.  These children need a voice and I am their voice. Are you with me?

By:Faith

The dark side of chocolate

Are you a person who loves chocolate? Do you know the big issue behind chocolates? Who is doing all the work?  If you had a choice, what would you  rather do fight for child labour or to eat chocolate every day of your life not know the secret behind it.  Once you hear the dark side of chocolate you will change your mind upside down.

In  Ivory Coast, boys ages 12-16 are kidnapped and forced to work in cocoa farms or else they will be in extreme abuse and get badly beaten up. Why is this a problem? Well this is a big problem because the chocolate manufacturer has been ignoring the fact that children have been in slave, doing all the work. Why have they been doing this? They have been doing this just for profits. 

Young children are working and working so hard-- what for. What do they get out of this? NOTHING. Some children have been tricked that they would get money, but when they go home they go empty handed. Imagine this happened to you! What would you do? You wouldn’t really have a choice because there's no escape. That means that they don’t have a choice. They have to work so they don’t get beaten up. Is this right and is this fair?

How do you think we can help ?  Well I think we should stand up for what is right and help them in everything we can possibly do to put this to an end.

By: Caitlyn

Note- Please comment down below I appreciate any comments.

Reference

http://harmonyfdn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BSSP-Child-Labour-04.jpg

Chocolate vs Child Labour

Have you ever wondered what happens in the chocolate factories? Do you know the biggest concern behind chocolate? Chocolate might be yummy but you don’t know the ugliness behind chocolate.

Western African countries are the biggest cocoa producer but children in these countries are being physically abused and used as slaves in collecting cocoa beans. It is heartbreaking that chocolate manufacturers ignored the fact that they use children as labourers for profit. Did you know that boys at the age of 12-16 and girls at the age of 11-12 are used as workers in the chocolate industry?

It is really sad  that Hershey’s, Kit Kat, Moro Bars, Snickers and Mars
are collecting cocoa nibs from Western Africa, when children are treated inhumanely. For a example they don’t get basic needs like food, place to sleep, rest and water to sustain them for work for the day. They have been beaten up if they are slow in production and if they have done some mistakes. They miss out in education and the growing up as children. Some children are kidnapped and taken away from their family to work in chocolate factories and farms. The yummy chocolate we eat has a very dark side. Would you ever want to buy chocolate that has a bad past and bad origin?

We can help by donating at UNICEF to help these children in this situation. Please DONATE !!

By Tino  


References

https://youtu.be/p8j2l-3TxTg

https://www.google.com/

http://www1.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/cabinet-approves-changes-to-child-labour-laws-50665.html
http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/
http://www.laborrights.org/industries/cocoa
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-gregory/chocolate-and-child-slave_b_4181089.html
http://www.shady-chocolate.com/en/illegal-child-labour
http://www.antislavery.org/english/campaigns/cocoa_traders/
http://www.ctvnews.ca/5things/the-dark-side-of-easter-chocolate-1.2293971