CHILD SLAVERY AND THE PRODUCTION OF CHOCOLATE

David Kruckenberg

Santiago Canyon College

Student David Kruckenberg presented this speech in the finals of the Phi Rho Pi National Tournament in 2007. David uses a problem-cause-solution format to address the compelling issue of child labor in the production of chocolate. He uses diverse reasoning strategies and consistently documents his claims with evidence. David’s speech is well organized, with a clear preview and transitions between each main point. His audience-centered solution demonstrates how each of us can be personally involved in addressing the problem.

I was forced to stay in a large room with other children from a neighboring plantation. I tried to run away, but I was caught. As punishment they cut my feet; I had to work for weeks while my wounds healed.

This moving testimony may sound like past history, when slavery was prevalent. But these words are not a reminder of the past. They’re found in the April 24, 2006, issue of Forbes magazine. These are the words of an enslaved boy working in the cocoa fields of the country of Côte d’Ivoire, also known as the Ivory Coast. And he is not alone. UNICEF reports in February 2006 that child trafficking is on the rise in this African region. •

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It may surprise you to learn that the last chocolate you ate may well have been tainted with child slavery. Despite the promises and agreements made in recent years by chocolate companies, they continue to use child labor in the production of their chocolate. We as consumers must communicate that this is unacceptable. •

To do so, we will first reveal the connection between chocolate and child slavery, second examine why the problem continues, and finally discover just how much power we have in bringing child slavery to an end.

How are chocolate and child slavery connected? •

Cocoa bean production is limited to areas near the equator, such as Central America, Indonesia, and the Ivory Coast. The International Cocoa Initiative Web site, last updated on February 8, 2007, explains that with almost a million acres devoted to growing cocoa, the Ivory Coast accounts for more than 40 percent of world cocoa production. According to a November 10, 2006, report by the Vancouver Sun, because growing cocoa is labor-intensive and labor is a significant part of the cost of production, many farmers in the Ivory Coast have turned to using forced child labor to cut costs.

The conditions of these children are beyond comprehension. The International Cocoa Initiative details the hazards they face each day. They must work long hours in the fields in brutal conditions. They clear fields with machetes and apply pesticides without protective gear. After harvesting the cocoa pods, they must split them open with heavy knives. Once the beans are dried and bagged, they must carry these large loads long distances on their young backs.

Even more alarming is just how many children are forced to live this life. The New York Times of October 26, 2006, reports that more than 200,000 children in the Ivory Coast are forced to work in the cocoa fields. The Chicago Tribune of May 5, 2006, reports that in contrast to the rest of the world, this region of Africa has the highest rate of child laborers of all children five to fourteen years old; more than one in four are forced to work. Earth Save International, last updated February 14, 2007, says that these children are either enticed with promises of good wages and easy work or outright kidnapped. One example is a boy named Molique, who came to the Ivory Coast at the age of fourteen. Despite the promises, he was never paid. When he asked to be paid, he was beaten. He had to scavenge for food and at night was locked up with the other kids. The New York Times of October 29, 2006, says that almost twelve thousand children in the Ivory Coast have been trafficked far from their families’ homes and into slavery. •

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The growing use of child slavery is reprehensible, but why is it allowed to continue? The answer is our widespread and growing demand for chocolate. •

Unfortunately, child slavery continues because our demand for chocolate continues, enabling the Ivory Coast and the chocolate companies to ignore the problem. Farmers in the Ivory Coast invest in cocoa for its large profits. In order to maximize their gain, they cut costs by using the forced labor of children. These 600,000 farmers then turn to large export companies in the Ivory Coast to buy their cocoa. The New York Times of October 26, 2006, reports that these export companies are able to keep the price that they pay for cocoa low because they have so many farmers to choose from. The exporters then sell their cocoa to large chocolate companies, such as Hershey’s, Nestle, M&M/Mars, and Cadbury. •

The Calgary Herald of November 17, 2006, tells us that in 2001, almost all of the big chocolate companies signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol, agreeing that by 2005 they would certify that their chocolate was not tainted with child slavery; however, this deadline passed two years ago, with the companies making excuses and saying they need more time. But the September 20, 2006, Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggests that they’re more concerned about the civil war in the Ivory Coast interfering with their supply of cocoa. Clearly, the civil war is also the top priority with the Ivory Coast government. The Associated Press on June 15, 2006, explains that the government doesn’t want to interfere with the supply of cocoa because export taxes are its primary source of revenue. The government uses this money to buy military arms and equipment. The Ivory Coast may not have blood diamonds, but the nation certainly possesses blood chocolate. •

Ultimately, the blame rests on us because consumer demand for chocolate keeps the industry insulated from pressure. The World Cocoa Foundation Web site, last updated February 14, 2007, tells us that North America and Europe consume nearly two-thirds of all cocoa products and that demand for confectionary products containing chocolate rises 4 to 5 percent each year. The sad truth is that most consumers are not aware of chocolate’s connection to child slavery. Because we continue to buy its chocolate, the industry feels no urgency to change. •

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Now that we understand the problem and why it continues, we must ask what we can do, and the answer is simple. We must stop buying slave-produced chocolate.

But don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that we stop buying chocolate altogether. There is an alternative, and it’s called fair trade chocolate. TransFair USA, a nonprofit organization, is the only independent third-party certifier of fair trade products in the U.S. It allows companies to display the fair trade–certified label on products that meet strict standards. Some of these standards found on the organization’s Web site, last updated November 16, 2006, include a prohibition on forced child labor, safe working conditions, living wages, environmentally safe farming methods, a guaranteed minimum price, and direct trade between the farmers and chocolate companies, thus eliminating the manipulative exporters. •

If we as consumers change how we buy chocolate, the industry will have to respond. Currently, companies are trying to distance themselves from the bad press associated with slave labor, and as a result the Ontario Guelph Mercury, February 3, 2007, reports that some have begun to buy into the fair trade market. For example, Business Wire, October 11, 2006, reports that Ben and Jerry’s is expanding its fair trade–certified ice cream flavors. Forbes magazine, previously cited, says that fair trade has even made inroads into the Ivory Coast but still accounts for only about 1 percent of cocoa exports. •

Economics teaches us that demand controls supply; they can only sell what we buy. A perfect example of this is the industry’s response to the rise in demand for organic food products. The Boston Herald on October 16, 2006, reports that organic food sales have risen more than 15 percent in the last two years. According to the September 20, 2006, Sacramento Bee, with a multibillion-dollar market, big companies like Walmart and Frito-Lay have made organic food mainstream. If we demand more fair trade chocolate, the industry will have to supply it, and when the chocolate companies start buying more slave-free cocoa, farmers in the Ivory Coast will have to abandon slavery to keep their buyers. •

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Today we have exposed the connection between chocolate and child slavery, examined why the problem continues, and finally discovered how we can bring it to an end. The next time you go to buy chocolate, remember the words of a child, quoted in the November 10, 2006, Toronto Star: “When the rest of the world eats chocolate, they’re eating my flesh.” The Ivory Coast may be seven thousand miles away, but we have a responsibility to protect all children. Fair trade chocolate may cost us a little more money, but that’s a small price to pay to free thousands of children from slavery. •