Hey there! PLEASE READ! (+share)
Are you aware of where chocolate REALLY comes from? Africa. Most companies that sell cocoa (chocolate) products are in Ivory Coast, but how can factories, store owners, cocoa farmers keep up with this production? Cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast have found a solution to keep up with the chocolate industries to keep in business:
Child Labour.
Yes. It's true.
Our class had watched the film "The Dark Side of Chocolate" and I was like: "WHAT THE FRICKLE FRACKLE WHY WHY WHY WHY?"
The video is attatched. And when the CEO's and what not were saying "Nuh uh, we don't use child slaves. Mmm hmm hmm, hunny. That's against the law, mkay? Buh Bye now!"
I was like: "NOO! HE'S A LIAR! LIES! LIES! IMMA SMACK HIM, LIKE RIGHT NOW. I CAN'T EVEN-- HE'S LYING AGAIN! LET'S KILL HIM! KILL HIM WITH FIRE!"
But I said that in my head, so nobody heard it but me.
I was... mad.
And since they mentions Nestlé TWICE in the video, I just want to say, I'm not buying from them again!
Back to the serious stuff, they kidnap children ages 10-15 (or younger) and smuggle them across the border. They are taken from their homes, they take them very quickly so nobody catches them. This is called Trafficking. (Don't say I'm stupid, that's how they spelled it in the video.)
(Not that they're stupid.)
Think about how their parents/guardians would feel. Knowing that the one child had been taken away from them. And they would have never returned.
Now think about how scary it would be to be that child. Spending the rest of your life, never seeing your parents'/guardians' face again. Never. You'd spend the rest of your life, working, without getting paid. Trapped. And that would be the rest of your life. Waiting. For someone to come, that never came.
The children taken to work in the plantations are never paid. Ever. A child costs 250-260 euros, to pay the person who does the transportation and kidnapping so you can have your own little slave for as long as you want. They are now your responsibility.
You can purchase chocolate from companies that do not support child labour, with a symbol on the package that says "Fair Trade".
HOWEVER!
Many companies in the chocolate biz are involved with this major issue. But not many people know about it. The companies know it's against the law, but it's crazy what big money can do to a person.
So... SPREAD THE WORD. AND HELP RAISE AWARENESS OF THIS CRUEL PROBLEM. PUT A MESSAGE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS! IN YOUR BOOKS, ON YOUR PAGE, MESSAGE BOARDS etc. THANK YOU! :)
Post this on social media for the sake of it?
I, BrookieBlueBell ASK OF YOU TO PASTE THIS EVERYWHERE! START A TREND!
Please Share this PLEASE. And tell other people, and tell them to tell other people and they will tell those people to tell more people.
Thank you all for reading this! This issue needs to be more well known, so I am starting with social media to raise awareness of this problem!
-BBB