Global Exchange organizes protest of Mars Inc. brand
Dateline: Monday, October 27, 2003
by Kristy McNab
Halloween is the peak time for
chocolate sales, and so it is the worst time for children working in the
cocoa industry.
In February, our family became aware
of the exploitation of children in the cocoa industry. Forty percent of
the world's cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast, and much of this is
exported to North America. When world cocoa prices plummeted a few years
ago, the use of child labour in cocoa production greatly increased,
forcing children and their families to live in appalling conditions and
preventing these children from going to school.
Sadly, in the Ivory Coast child
slavery has also become a huge problem, with thousands of children being
either tricked or sold into slavery. Much of the chocolate we consume in
North America is tainted with child slavery and child labour. Child
labour is also widely used to produce products such as coffee, tea and
sugar.
Our children decided at Easter that
they didn't want slave chocolate. Although it was a hard decision to
give up chocolate, it was they who asked to inform the Easter Bunny that
they did not want any slave chocolate at Easter, even if that meant that
they received no chocolate at all.
Our family continues to enjoy
chocolate but we buy only Fair Trade products, as we cannot in good
conscience consume products that are tainted with child slavery.
This is what Cameron, 9, said: "We
were worried that the Easter Bunny had slave chocolate and that it would
take more slaves to harvest more cocoa for Easter. So we asked the
Easter Bunny not to bring slave chocolate and buy something else
instead. Even though we would miss the chocolate."
Serena, 5,: "I want the slaves to be
free. I want the farmers to make the slaves not do so much work. The
companies should be kind to the children so they can survive and so that
their scars can heal."
I am on the mailing list for Global
Exchange which has a Fair Trade campaign underway for Halloween. We
talked about that as a family and my son Christian, 7, made this
comment.
"People give us chocolate at Halloween. It creates a demand and that means more slaves and more cocoa beans. Please do not give anyone chocolate this Halloween. Only Fair Trade chocolate. ÎItâs too expensive' is no excuse because slaves have to work and suffer to get cocoa beans. You should save money until you have enough to buy Fair Trade chocolate and if you don't have enough then don't buy any. We don't buy it as much as we did. I feel good that we donât buy as much because more money goes to the farmers when we buy Fair Trade. But I miss eating so much chocolate and I hope that the companies will start using Fair Trade chocolate so I can eat Kit Kats and M&M's again."
This is what Global Exchange is
suggesting: This Halloween, Global Exchange is asking kids and adults -
to send Mars a piece of Halloween candy made by Mars, along with a note
asking the company to sell Fair Trade. Mars knows that kids love
chocolate. If kids across the nation stand up and say "I care enough
about Fair Trade to give up some of my chocolate," Mars will know we are
really serious! Adults can do this too. Tell the company you "arenŐt
satisfied with the product" because it is tainted with the bitter taste
of exploitation!
Global Exchange has free Fair Trade
chocolate stickers and postcard sets for kids (one about Fair Trade,
another to send for K-12 educational materials and a third to send to
Mars With Mars brand chocolate). It also lists where you can get Fair
Trade chocolate.
Here is their website:
www.globalexchange.org/ccoa
Kristy McNab is a veterinarian, mother of three and a chocoholic living near Peterborough, Ontario.
