End Chocolate Slavery in Ivorian Cocoa Fields

HOW MUCH DOES YOUR CHOCOLATE REALLY COST?

Approximately 284,000 children between the ages of 6 and 11 years old are kidnapped and trafficked into C'ote d'Ivoire to pick cocoa beans for the world's major chocolate manufacturers. A young boy from neighboring Mali who says he was lured to a cocoa farm in Ivory Coast, describes his plight: "I tried to run away but I was caught ... as punishment they cut my feet with razor blades and I had to work barefoot for weeks while my wounds healed."

The children are overworked, as they endure punishing hours from dawn to dusk. They are ill fed; usually corn paste is their only meal. During the day the children use dangerous tools and are frequently exposed to dangerous pesticides. When the day is over, the children are locked up to prevent any escape. The slaves are usually too scared to runaway, as they fear the consequences. Those attempting to escape were usually caught, tied up and viscously whipped as an example to others. The beatings continued, twice a day, for several days. Many don't survive. Those that did survive were sent back to work as soon as they could walk. They had to rely on the maggots feeding on their flesh to clean their wounds to save them from gangrene.

This petition is to end the child slavery taking place in West Africa to supply the major chocolate manufacturers (Hersheys, M&M/Mars, Nestle).  End Chocolate Slavery is asking that Congress do the following:

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  Draft legislation making a mandatory labeling system assuring consumers that they are buying SLAVERY-FREE chocolate and cocoa products.

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  Draft legislation making a mandatory labeling system assuring consummers that the the farmers who supplied the cocoa were paid fair market value for their crops (FAIR-TRADE cocoa).This is the best hope to boost the economy of Cote d'Ivoire and reduce the instances of child slavery. This mandate will hopefully provide motivation for large manufacturers like Hershey's M&M/Mars, Nestle and other major chocolate manufacturers pay fair market value for their cocoa, helping to stimulate the economies of impoverished countries.

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  Add cocoa and cocoa products to the list of banned slavery-produced items on Clinton's 1999 Executive Order No. 13126.

Thank you for taking the time to view and sign this petition.  With your help, we can spread the word about the horrors of what is happening in West Africa, and put a stop to this slavery.  The term "guilty pleasure" should only refer to adding inches to our waistlines, not subtracting years from a child's life.

Thank You,
Andrea Danihel, Founder
End Chocolate Slavery
A Non-Profit Organization