Child Labor In The Cocoa Industry
And Why You Should Help To Prevent It
Conditions for Children In The Cocoa Industry
Cocoa is something that is present in our lives in the form of sweets, drinks and chocolate. What we dont realize, however is the fact that the majority of this cocoa is harvested in West Africa, where child labor is common and widespread. These childern do dangerous work and are exposed to rough conditions and chemicals that can be harmful. Many of these children are sold, trafficked, or kidnapped into doing this work, and are treated very poorly by those whom they are employed by. Many of these children do not attend school at all, and if they do, they may still not be recieving the best education possible.
The Kids
Children who harvest cocoa in West Africa are usually between the ages of 12 and 16, but there are kids as young as 5 working in this industry. They live in conditions that are not fit for young children and are often treated poorly by those who employ them, and are not usually paid.
The Work
These children are doing strenuous, dangerous work that involves them using machetes to cut the cocoa pods off the trees, and then lugging around the pods in bags that can weigh as much as a hundred pounds. They are exposed to agricultural chemicals and are often covered in scars from the machete.
Chocolate
Chocolate is the fruit of these childrens labor, but is it really worth it? Many large companies are supplied with cocoa from West Africa, meaning that you, as a consumer, are affected by child labor in your daily life. These companies might even be profiting from the atrocity that is child labor in the cocoa industry.
Human Trafficking
Many of the children working on cocoa plantations are sold or tricked into the work. Some are even sold by their own relatives, who are usually unaware of the conditions and treatment that these kids recieve. Children are sometimes kidnapped from bordering countries and taken to the plantations to work. Many of them may not see their family for years, if ever.