If you are buying chocolate this Valentine's Day. You might want to take a moment to think about where chocolate comes from. The world's top exporters of Cocoa is Ivory Coast.
There is a surprising association between chocolate and child labor in the Cote d'Ivoire. Young boys whose ages range from 12 to 16 have been sold into slave labor and are forced to work in cocoa farms in order to harvest the beans, from which chocolate is made, under inhumane conditions and extreme abuse. This West African country is the leading exporter of cocoa beans to the world market. Thus, the existence of slave labor is relevant to the entire international economic community.
The Trade & Environment Database
