Don't Wait Until 2020 -- Eradicate Chocolate Child Slavery Now!
- by: Care2.com
- recipient: Mars Inc. President Paul S. Michaels and CEO of Ferrero chocolates, Giovanni Ferrero
Celebrating Valentine's Day with boxes of chocolate may be traditional. But chocolate made by thousands of child slaves captured through human trafficking is anything but romantic.
These children work the corrupt cocoa fields of a billion dollar chocolate industry built on human rights crimes.
Ferrero and Mars chocolate companies know that slave chocolate isn't how you show love on Valentine's Day. They promised to end forced labor in their cocoa plantations by 2020.
But in the meantime, thousands of chocolate products will be produced by child slaves. And they can't wait that long.
Ferrero and Mars chocolates do not need seven years to end the slavery they've known about for decades. Ask them to make chocolate sustainable and humane this year.
Dear Ferrero and Mars, Thank you for promising to eradicate your cocoa plantations of forced labor by 2020. Unfortunately, consumers, the children trafficked into the chocolate industry, and the upwards of 800,000 people doomed to chocolate slavery each year can't wait until 2020. Rid your plantations of chocolate's child slaves
this year. A seven year plan is outrageously long when human rights are on the line. As leaders in the chocolate industry, you've known about the issue of human trafficking amid chocolate companies for years. This is not new, this is not right, and it will continue to be a human rights violation every year up until 2020 unless you choose to stop producing products from enslaved children NOW.
Your comments here. Next Valentine's Day, every chocolate you sell should have a label on it proving it is child-labor-free and sustainable. Sincerely, [Your name here]
