Slavery in the Chocolate Industry

The article is about chocolate made by cocoa bean grown in farms in Ivory Coast and Ghana. The farmers use slave boys for harvest of coca beans. Boys kidnapped from villages and isolated in rural areas are made slaves. Every year an unknown number of boys die or killed in the process. In 2000 British Television Company True Vision broadcast the documentary of those slave boys in Britain and United states. About 15,000 children had been sold to slavery Ivory Coast. In June 24, 2001 Knight Rider newspaper investigated the matter and published a report that paid extra attention on slavery and confirm the report of True Vision. In 1999, the International Labour Organization adopted a convention to eliminate all forms of slavery or similar acts like it. About 89 countries including U.S accepted the convention but Ivory Cost wasnt one of them. However, this law is rarely enforced because of the local authorities who accept bribes and commissions from the money earns by the parties involved in the such trading which includes selling of young boys for slavery. From 1996-2000 the prices of cocoa beans decreased 25% due to this the farmers used slave boys for harvesting of cocoa beans to cut their labour cost. The four largest and some other companies of U.S which are less well known import cocoa beans from Ivory Coast. Yet these chocolates makers import such beans from Ivory Coast after accepting the Convention and knowing the fact that those farmers use slavery for harvesting beans. On June 22 CMA (Chocolate Manufacturers Association) planned to study the situation and practice necessary and suitable steps to counter the problem. For that CMA on September 19, 2001 compiled with ILO (International Labour Organization) signed the planned convention concerning the immediate action to eliminate slavery from Ivory Coast. In May 2002 CMA, COCOA foundation, many others human rights group and Ivory Coast government signed a Memorandum in which they agreed towards ending child slavery. CMA started training programs for educating farmers about the innovative techniques and they also established a system of certification. In early 2005 system of certification still remained unsolved because most of the areas of West Africa are remote rural regions so it is difficult to reach to the people there, so still slavery is common in the cocoa farms. In the end I would like to say that using slavery as a mean to getting ones work done is the dirtiest possible artefact of human nature. This is a dirty act religiously, morally and ethically. Every Government must act and strive hard to counter slavery and this can be achieved by making nations ethically aware of what is wrong and what is right. All religions negated slavery and encouraged freedom so this act must be stopped by hook or crook.