Date of publication: February 7, 2008
Source: Pacific Free Press
Author: Christian Parenti
Excerpt from article:
If you buy chocolate this Valentine's Day, chances are much of it was made with child labor. West Africa produces 70% of the world's cocoa supply -- the raw ingredient of chocolate.
Fully 40% of the world's cocoa comes from one country, Cote D’Ivoire.
And in Cote D’Ivoire, grinding poverty, violence and child labor are epidemic.
This isn't supposed to be the case. For seven years there has been a much ballyhooed industrial agreement in place, designed to stop the exploitation of children in the chocolate industry....