hey everyone ^^

we would really appreciate it if you could do this survey :)

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YBCCFGC

thank you :D

•• Hey all, Lani here ••

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while :p 

Today I've just been thinking about how a lot of people don't actually think about the slave labour that goes into making their favourite chocolate treats. While they're stuffing their faces with chocolate, there are innocent children who even though it's against their human rights are forced to work on cocoa plantations.

Earlier on today I made a photo collage of child cocoa slaves, with the slogan
"Is the suffering of these kids really worth the cocoa beans you need for your favourite chocolate treat".    

"Is the suffering of these kids really worth the cocoa beans you need for your favourite chocolate treat?"

Just ask yourself that question. Would you rather put a child through the pain of slaving away to harvest the beans for your chocolate pleasures OR could you say no to this act of cruelty and sacrifice not eating a food you enjoy? Is it really that much to ask?




Coming to the end of my entry I thought I might leave you with some quotes by some very wise men; Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu and William Wilberforce.


Just to remind you that the focus of this blog is to help support the Unitued Nations International Day for the Rememberance of the Slave Trade and it's abolition which is August 23rd.






To end this entry I will leave you

 with the words of William
Wilberforce one of the main people
who played of vital role in
 abolishing the Slave Trade --->


For more information on August 23rd  and why it is such an important day, have a look on
http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday/

              

Hi everyone ^^

Have you ever wondered if a charities work is actually working?
Well Anti-slavery International has had a number of successes, in abolishing slavery.
In 2011 Anti-slavery successfully forced the UK government to sign an Anti-trafficking law to help protect the victims of of trafficking. This can result in a secure justice for people who have been trafficked.

Is anyone as surprised as I am about this success?? In some cases charities raise money to help developing countries but the money never gets used to help the people; and gets used to help the government leaders instead!!!!

                                         From Diana ^^

~Push factors~

Have you ever wondered why children in Africa are forced to work as child slaves ?

Most of the population of Africa live in poverty up to 40-70% of west African countries lack income. This results in families sending their own children to work thinking they will live a better life and get income. But in reality they are sent to work in harsh conditions. In most cases the children are exposed to hazardous chemicals and are malnourished.
It is also normal for people to work for the benefit of their family. Their only alternative is to work                                                        

From Ashleigh

Abolitionist: Olaudah Equiano!!!

 Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – c. 1797) was an ex-African slave who was a large influence of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. Olaudah was born in a small village in Nigeria, Africa. One day, he and his sister were kidnapped by slave traders after playing in the fields by their village. He was shipped across to America on a slave ship sailing the middle passage. The middle passage is the route that the slave ships go to transport 

Africans to the slave traders. 

Soon, Olaudah and his sister separated from each other as they were sold to different masters. Olaudah was a very fortunate slave than most. His first owner was a man named Lieutenant Michael Pascal. He taught him the English literature making Olaudah to be a very intelligent man. Pascal later sold him to a man named Robert King who improved his literacy skills so he could read and write fluently in English. Pascal made it clear to King, ‘make sire to sell him to the best master he could’, because Olaudah was a very smart boy. Olaudah was promised 40 pounds form King and bought his freedom.

    

^^Am Man and a Brother? - this badge was used to promote the abolition of the slave trade!!

From Jacci & Lani ♥ 

Anti-slavery International

Hey everyone this is my second post on blog spot so I hope you like it ^^

This blog is just to introduce the readers about Anti-slavery International. Anti-slavery International's aim is to eliminate all forms of slavery around the world, and  some of their work consists of removing all child labour in the cocoa industry.

Some of you may remember William Wilberforce, he is the founder of this organisation. Mr |Wilberforce is also one of the first politicians to abolish the slave trade. He founded this organisation in 1839!  that's around 174 years ago ^^  Anti-slavery international is one of the oldest human rights organisation in the world :O


for more info on Anti-slavery international check out their website http://www.antislavery.org/english/

                                                             Entry from Diana ^^

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Inc.

My blog entry for today is about a couple of Chocolate Industries :) 

Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker Inc.

Where?: Mid Atlantic, Southeast, San Francisco

Where is the Cocoa from?? :  Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Bali, Ghana and more...

Point of View:  Bought by Hershey - Hershey uses child labour. Child Labour (as we know) is against all human rights and fair trade. The way the children are treated is cruel and un-called for. Hershey's was accused for un-ethical trading and using child labour for cocoa. 

"It will source 100% certified cocoa for its global chocolate product lines by 2020 and accelerate its programs to help eliminate child labour in the cocoa regions of West Africa." - (Hersheys) 

From Jacci ♥

Heeeeey everyone, I'm Jacci ♥

This is my first blog entry!

I'm going to say a few things about the process of trafficking.

Child Slave - beaten in The Ivory Coast

Currently, the number of slaves in the world is the highest it has ever been! 700,000 CHILDREN and WOMEN are trafficked annually around the world. That's a pretty big figure, don't you think???

People are hired to  illegally take kids and bring them across the border to work as child slaves. The United Nations says profits from child trafficking amounts to, approximately, $7 Billion per year!! The money raised is shared among st  the parents and families who gave their children away. The children were promised a proper income and food. In the end, no children had their promised fulfilled. Families are so desperate for money to survive, they would sell their own children. 

From Jacci ☺ Regal out.

Ello everyone ^_^

My name is Lani and this is my first blog entry :D 

As you've probably figured out, our blog is all about the darker side of chocolate *dun dun duunn* 

So as my first entry I thought I might chuck in a few stats to give you guys an idea of what this darker side is really all about :3

3 MILLION tonnes of chocolate are eaten each year. 

1/2 OF THAT FIGURE is consumed in Europe! 

^^That is one massive amount of chocolate eaten in ONE continent.

 Greedy Europeans and their chocolate!

For each kilogram of cocoa farmers sell they only get ₤1.00!

^^With one kilogram of cocoa beans that a chocolate company purchases from the cocoa farmers, they are able to produce not 10 or 20, but 40 CHOCOLATE BARS. And if the cost for each chocolate bar for example is ₤1.30 ($2.50 NZD), you don't have to be good at math to work out that what the farmers are earning for their cocoa beans is extremely low compared to what major chocolate companies are making from their cocoa products. So the question goes; Why is this such an unfair trade for the farmers who do all the hard work? 

And just when you thought that things couldn't get anymore unfair, think again, because in most plantations where cocoa is grown there are children being used against their will for labour. Yes, that's right, child labour!
Just a few stats and facts to get you thinking, remember: chocolate is not as sweet as you think! 

Also I would love to hear your thoughts & ideas on all this. Please feel free to comment :)

the truth about chocolate :p

hey guys :) this is Diana ^^

For all the readers viewing this page, I'm here today to tell you the truth about chocolate.

Over 200,000 children are being forced to live and work in harmful environments :(

These children don't even get the chance to live a normal life, think about primary school kids in your area  carrying around machetes and working days as long as 12 hours! These children live on raw corn paste and they don't even get paid!

I know if that was me I'd hate to even be alive. It absolutely sucks to have to live in these conditions.

please leave your thoughts and ideas about child labour :)

I'd love to hear about your thoughts

      

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