By Courtney Smith, Intern, International Labor Rights Forum
As summer is winding down and everyone is gearing up for their Labor Day barbeques, here is one last
reminder to make sure that your S’mores are Fair Trade. ILRF has been working with Global Exchange and other organizations to promote Fair Trade S’mores all summer long.
Many of the cocoa farms in Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa exporter, are notorious for their use of forced child labor. According to the U.S. Department of State, about 109,000 children are used on Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa farms and 10,000 of these children are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. Not only are these children subject to abuse and harsh and dangerous working conditions, they also lose their chance to gain an education. In a country like Cote d’Ivoire, where over 50% of the population is illiterate, this lack of education will have serious repercussions for the nation’s development and future well-being.
As summer is winding down and everyone is gearing up for their Labor Day barbeques, here is one last
Many of the cocoa farms in Cote d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa exporter, are notorious for their use of forced child labor. According to the U.S. Department of State, about 109,000 children are used on Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa farms and 10,000 of these children are victims of human trafficking or enslavement. Not only are these children subject to abuse and harsh and dangerous working conditions, they also lose their chance to gain an education. In a country like Cote d’Ivoire, where over 50% of the population is illiterate, this lack of education will have serious repercussions for the nation’s development and future well-being.
Hershey is a popular name in the chocolate world, however it is important to know where your chocolate is coming from, and this is something that Hershey has failed to guarantee. While Hershey committed to stopping the use of cocoa tainted by labor abuses in its supply chain in 2001, real results have yet to be seen. Other competitors of Hershey have been more productive in creating transparency in their cocoa supply chain and implementing tracing systems so that they know fromwhere their cocoa is coming. Furthermore, an article by Nancy Cleeland articulates how Hershey has gone so far as to outsource its chocolate production to other U.S. contractors and facilities in Mexico which has created problems involving workplace safety, job security, and union membership. Whether it is children forced into labor in Cote d'Ivoire or workers in the United States, Hershey must be held accountable to the individuals it employs to produce chocolate. More transparency and responsibility should be demanded from Hershey.
There are a number of ways that you can participate in this campaign!
1) Make Fair Trade S’mores anytime before Labor Day on September 6th and register them online;
2) Gather signatures on a petition to Hershey or use our color-in petition;
3) Join our photo protest to Hershey!
There are a number of ways that you can participate in this campaign!
1) Make Fair Trade S’mores anytime before Labor Day on September 6th and register them online;
2) Gather signatures on a petition to Hershey or use our color-in petition;
3) Join our photo protest to Hershey!
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