Stop the Use of Children As Slaves
Dear Fellow MoveOn Members,
I was saddened by a Washington Post article called, "Cocoa's Child Laborers". The link to the Washington Post article is included for your convenience:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/business/hershey-nestle-mars-chocolate-child-labor-west-africa/?utm_term=.5c5ac7afe286
This article discussed the current slavery of children at cocoa farms in Africa. Children, some as young as 5 years old, are either stolen from their parents or run away and forced into slavery at cocoa farms. It is estimated that 179 million young children are exploited and forced to work in horrible conditions that would be deplorable to the average American. A day’s work at a cocoa farm is not good work for an adult and it is truly an inhumane act to force children to work these farms. However, this modern day slavery is kept alive and thriving by you, me, all of us.
Everyday, Americans eat chocolate candy, chocolate bars, chocolate cake and other food items containing chocolate that are made from the hands of child slaves. As of today’s date, NO American company (Mars, Nestle, Hershey) can state and certify that 100% of their products are free of slavery. Our United States companies know these products are made with the hands of enslaved children and yet, they are OK with this fact. These companies reported to the US government and to different media outlets, that they are trying and have been trying for twenty years to stop the use of slave labor in their chocolate products.
However, they have concluded it is just too hard. It is too hard to stop buying products and crops from farms using children as slaves. It is too hard to buy products and crops from farms that do not use slave labor. So, for the last 20 years, our American companies present plans, promises, and presentations to government officials and continue to buy items, crops and products produced from enslaved children. There is no accountability for our American companies to stop enslaving children with their support of slavery at cocoa farms. This petition is designed to draw the attention to the issue and to request US legislation to be created with the following action items:
1) Call for labels and certifications on each piece of chocolate sold in the United States that children slaves were not used in the production of that item.
2) Implement and Enforce 19 USC Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and refuse the entry of cocoa, cocoa products, or chocolate that is produced or manufactured from the use of enslaved children.
3) Impose fines and penalties for American companies who do not achieve the US approved goals and objectives, as promulgated by the American company, for eradicating the slavery of children from the chocolate industry.
Please sign this petition and send a message to our government and American companies to stop making empty promises and to start eradicating the slavery of children at cocoa farms.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
