Exploitation of children reveals the dark side of Easter

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

This Easter, families trying to find ethically sourced Easter eggs will face a near impossible task.

Insufficient action by Australia’s mainstream chocolate industry means young children continue to be needlessly exploited in the cocoa fields of West Africa.

Since 2008 World Vision Australia has called on chocolate companies to play their part in combating forced and child labour in West Africa. The industry has failed to fully implement any adequate method across their entire product range to stamp out this practice.

In 2001, the chocolate industry made commitments to end child labour in cocoa production. World Vision Australia recommends that in order to achieve this, companies should increase their current targets for purchasing ethically certified cocoa or implement complementary measures to end exploitative child labour.

“Over ten years on, actions taken by this US$100 billion chocolate industry have been piecemeal at best. Based on current commitments to ethical certification, only 25% of Australian chocolate sales will be certified by 2018. That is too little, too late.” said Tim Costello chief executive of World Vision Australia.

A report released last year by World Vision Australia recommended the introduction of a small levy of 2 cents in every $10 of chocolate sales, to scale-up the industry’s response. The ‘sustainability levy’ could fund farmer training in sustainable practices to address exploitative child labour in the cocoa industry.

“I’ve been to the cocoa fields of West Africa and have seen the exploitation firsthand, with children labouring long hours in high humidity with dangerous machetes,” Mr Costello said.  “Given that the Australian industry is worth more than $1.28 billion, and in 2010 alone $46 million was spent on advertising, the levy would be just a drop in the ocean of this highly profitable market.”

This Easter World Vision Australia is calling on consumers to buy only ethically certified chocolate to send a clear message to chocolate companies that exploitation will not be tolerated.

“It’s easy to become despairing and to feel powerless when we hear stories of exploitation, but the miraculous thing this Easter is that each one of us holds the power of change. By simply voting with your wallet and choosing fair trade you are eradicating child labour, one Easter egg at a time.”

Less than 5 percent of the global cocoa supply is certified to have been harvested without the use of forced or child labour. Despite the best projections for growth in ethical cocoa, its expected 60-75 percent globally will still be uncertified by 2018.

Research undertaken by Tulane University in 2008 found that almost 2 million children were working on cocoa-related activities in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Nearly 50 percent of these children reported they had sustained injuries from their work.

Australians who want to eat ethical chocolate this Easter can download World Vision Australia’s Good Chocolate Guide from www.donttradelives.com.au

Poverty is one of the driving forces in slavery around the world. By continuing to support foreign aid, Australia can help break the link between poverty and slavery.

Media contact: Gabrielle Brophy 0407 575 112 /gabrielle.brophy@worldvision.com.au

Media Releases, Child labour, Africa, Child Labour, Child Slavery, Chocolate, Cocoa Industry, Easter, Humanitarian

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