ALBERTO TORRES NAVARRO

PRASASTI CHANDRA ABADI

ANNE WIJNBERGEN

SUMMARY

Slave traders are trafficking boys ranging from the age of 12 to 16 from their home countries

and are selling them to cocoa farmers in West Africa. They work on small farms across the

countries, harvesting the cocoa beans day and night, under inhumane conditions.

The horrendous conditions under which children must toil on the cocoa farms of the West

Africa are even more jarring when the facts are juxtaposed with the idea that much of this cocoa

will ultimately end up producing something that most people associate with happiness and

pleasure: chocolate. The connection serves to illustrate that the existence of misery in one part

of the world and joy in another part are no longer divorced as nations are connected together in

a globalized web of trade.

In addition to the very illegality of trafficking and hiring children workers, the implicated cocoa

farmers subject the children to inhuman living conditions. Besides overworking them, the

farmers do not pay the children nor feed them properly-often times they are allowed to eat corn

paste as their only meal. The denigration also includes locking the children up at night to

prevent escape. Although it is only one of many occurrences of bonded labor.

A English channel made a documental complaining this situation and showing that the largest

American cocoa companies buy this cocoa beans.

In 2001, a plan initiated by the U.S.'s Chocolate Manufacturers Association which is called the

Harkin-Engel Protocol, and it will be implemented with the support and cooperation of the US

and foreign governments and various NGOs around the world. The plan's goal is to conform to

the ILO Convention 182 in establishing mechanisms to end the worst forms of child labor.

(Chocolate Manufacturers Association). In the first step of the plan, the industry implemented a

formal survey conducted under USAID to examine the pervasiveness of child slavery in the

West African region.

In 2005 this plan didn’t work because is to complicate controlling all the cocoa, there are more

than 1.000.000 of cocoa farmers and the price of cocoa is reduced more and more.

QUESTIONS

1. What are the systemic, corporate, and individual ethical issues raised by this case?

The case Slavery in the Chocolate Industry discusses labor exploitation in the chocolate

industry. It specifically addresses the cocoa beans grown on farms in West Africa,

especially the Ivory Coast and Ghana, which make up close to half of the worlds

chocolate. The cocoa farmers of these nations, however, often rely on slaves to harvest

their beans, and in some cases, enslavement of young males .The systemic ethical issues

raised by this case include economical, political, and legal questions.   Let us first look

at the economical repercussions. Would it be economically logical not to do any

business with these countries?   The answer is no, considering close to half of the

world’s chocolate is made from the cocoa beans that are grown in the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

If we were to refuse to do any business with these countries or the people associated with these countries,

the costs of the products may be un-affordable to consumers. As far as political issues, I’m

sure were not the only country who does business with these other countries, and if we

stop doing business with the ivory coast and Ghana the other countries that also do

business with them may stop doing business with us.   The last systematic issue raised is

legal. Slavery on the farms is in illegal in the Ivory Coast.   Whether it is or how

well the laws are enforced is for the most part out of our control

2. In your view, is the kind of child slavery discussed in this case absolutely wrong no

matter what, or is it only relatively wrong, if one happens to live in a society that

disapproves of slavery?

I feel slavery of any kind is wrong whether the society approves or disapproves of it.

However, throughout history slavery has been a common practice of most societies

across the world.   If the young boys in this case had been treated better, for example

better working conditions, better sleeping conditions, better living conditions, and better

treatment in general would this article ever have appeared?   Probably not, I think the

major moral issue here is the treatment of the boys and kidnapping them from different

places and making them work rigorously against their will. Again kidnapping is

violation of law

3. Who share in the moral responsibility for the slavery occurring in the chocolate

industry? Chocolate companies? Farmers? Distributors? Consumers?

In conclusion. I believe there are multitude of people and groups that share the moral

responsibility for slavery occurring in the chocolate industry. While slavery is most

prominent in West Africa because they are the leading exporter of cocoa beans, slave labor

exists in many of the world s agricultural sectors (Chocolate and slavery: child labor in Cote dIvoire,

2002).Through the various trade relations, many people are inevitably implicated in this

problem, whether it is the Ivory Coast Government, the farmers, the chocolate

manufacturers, or consumers who both knowingly and unknowingly buy chocolate

(Chocolate and slavery: child labor in Cote dIvoire,2002). Many groups are responsible for

the depredations against these children, but without question, the people most able to end

their sufferings are chocolate manufacturers and government officials. As you will learn,

however, the chocolate industry in general has done little to eliminate the slavery in its

supply chain, and, indeed, has played a central role in creating and perpetuating it. The

politicians, meanwhile, are all talk and no walk. Unfortunately, it seems that the industry

will continue its evil ways, and lawmakers will continue to let them, so long as there is no

public outcry against them. This is one way to tell them. Another way is by not buying their

tainted products. Sadly, most businesses only understand one thing profit and chocolate

makers are no exception. Encourage the small, but burgeoning, market in chocolate that’s

exploitation-free, while hitting the slavery-exploiting companies where it hurts in

their pocketbooks.