Public Health Essay Sample: The Dark Side of Chocolate

Many People love chocolate, white children enjoy chocolate, but the reverse is true for the African Children. Just like in coffee and tea farming, child labor the cocoa plantation is marred with the injustices as far as child labor is concerned. The dark side of chocolate is a movie produced by Danish Journalist, Mistrati Miki as he was investigating the child labor and trafficked children mainly from Africa in Chocolate productions. Therefore, in this research, the paper will disclose the way child labor is practiced in Cocoa plantation in Africa especially in Ivory Coast, how they affect the children and further mention what the international governments have done so as to ensure that the practice is abandoned ("Dark Side of Chocolate: Child Labor in the Chocolate Industry").

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During the trafficking, the children were deported from Mali and being smuggled to Ivory Coasts plantations to work as slaves in the chocolate plantations. The trafficking normally takes place from the bus stations, a point which is considered to be the junction for all traffics to the Ivory coasts. The children are sold at Zeqoua town and then smuggled through the border to Ivory Coast by the use of motorbikes and taxis. The children are between the age of 12-14 for boys and 11-12 for girls ("Documentary. The Dark Side Of Chocolate"). According to the General Secretary of the Drivers Union in Sikkasso, Idrissa Kante, in 2006, he has saved 132 children who were being trafficked.97 were boys, and 35 were girls. Besides, in 2007, he saved 140 more and out of which 99 was boys, and 41 were girls. Between the year 2008 to 2009, he also managed to rescue 150 children from the same phenomenon ("Documentary. The Dark Side Of Chocolate"). The children were mainly from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.These children are trafficked 10-15 at a time to Korogho, and then they were sold to farmers in Pogo, Ivory Coast at 230 euros per slaves. These children were normally taken from the rural villages without their parents consent

In the pursuit to determine more truth about child trafficking problem in cocoa plantations, most authorities , Ali Lakisss CEO of Saf Cacao company ,and the Chief Secretary, department of labor Ivory Coast, Mr. Tohe Adam Malick have denied the fact that the children are being trafficked to Ivory Coast to work as slaves in the farms. Tohes reason behind children going to Ivory Coast was for vacation as oppose to slavery. However, the undercover have shown that the children have been found in the cocoa plantations carrying machetes and sticks ready to remove the cocoa parts ("Dark Side of Chocolate: Child Labor in the Chocolate Industry"). However, the truth is that the children are working in the firms and non are from Ivory Coast.Also, none of them go to school, and most of their rights are being violated. It thus shows that the children rights are being violated and they do not get the basic needs. Everyone is not ready, to tell the truth about what happens in the farms and the government seems to be concerned about the issue but takes no action

The children are being bought mainly from Burkina Faso at 230 euros which include the transportation costs and their indefinite use. Most of the children were not being paid for the work they had been doing on the farms. Due to the miseries, the children undergo in the plantation, some of them manage to flee from the plantations to flee for their freedom. These include children from Mali and Burkina Faso. In the event the children are tired, and they could no longer work, they would be beaten and be taken back to work in the plantations by force (Hardy-Gould, 234).

To carry out research about the ill-fated behavior going on in the Ivorian cocoa plantation proves to be very dangerous. In the year 2004, French- Canadian journalist, Guy Andre Kiffer was kidnapped on the parking lounge, as he was doing a story about the briary and laundering of cocoa money by the Ivorian Government. Until today he has never been found, and the case is still unsolved

As undercover were sent to the plantation to see how the children were working on the firms. The truth about the child labor was revealed. Other organizations like the Interpol had managed to save 50 children from trafficking. However, they face a challenge since when they arrive in the cities where the trade takes place; the children are hiding to avoid the rescue and the arrest of the offenders. Besides, the children are exposed to some other problems which include the effects of pesticides and other chemicals which shall affect their lives in future.

The international organizations have also tried to take action against this problem under the Umbrella of UN. ILO, for example, has aid to combat the problems which the children from West Africa are undergoing though in Ivory Coast. The ILO has confirmed that various debates have been discussed and the sensitizations have been made to various governments so as to ensure that the needs and the right of the children have been protected. However, they cannot justify practically how far they have gone to combat this bad behavior. The legal action thus was to be revived for most of the companies like Nestle who fuel and funds the child trafficking processes so as to improve the cocoa production in Cote de Ivoire. It has been recorded that the chocolate has spent 6 million euros in one year to aid. However, the manufacturers were not ready to accept the liabilities of the conditions which happen in the cocoa firms. However, by visiting the Nestle Headquarters, they have also confirmed that they have also played a role in controlling the child labor. Therefore, the verdict by the courts to incur the costs will discourage them from combating the ill-fated behavior which occurs in the cocoa industry (Godoy, 3).

Therefore, it is a call for the cocoa industries, the farmers back in Ivory coasts, the parents back Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, governments and the international bodies such as ILO should take it their responsibility to save the life children from slavery in these plantations. It is not prudent to earn more income from the production which is floored by the injustices and problems which affect the lives of the children, deny them their liberty and freedom to acquire formal education and ensure that the whole societies which are marred by poverty should be rescued from these problems. It is our obligation as a society to ensure that the problem is dealt with and overcome. It is our responsibility as a society to take this as our own problem and fight it with a lot of intellectual empathy and professionalism.

Work Cited

"Documentary. The Dark Side Of Chocolate." www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vfbv6hNeng.

"The Dark Side of Chocolate: Child Labor in the Chocolate Industry." www.fawco.org/global-issues/human-rights/ending-violence-against-women-a-children/3008-the-dark-side-of-chocolate-child-labor-in-the-chocolate-industry

Frydenborg, K. Chocolate: Sweet science and dark secrets of the world's favorite treat. 2015.

Godoy, Joday. Nestle Child Slave Suit Hurts US Business, Justice Told.Law360.October 26, 2015

Hardy-Gould, J. Chocolate. Oxford University Press, 2011

Off, C. Bitter chocolate: Investigating the dark side of the world's most seductive sweet. 2016.