Equity Issues

There's a high chance that a chocolate bar purchased in the U.S. was made using child labor.

Child labor is a huge part of the West African chocolate industry (farming and transport of the cocoa beans), with approximately 2 million children doing hazardous work in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. The work these children do typically involves sharp blades, chemicals, and heavy lifting.

Children can end up doing farm labor for many reasons, including mothers struggling to find income or child support and education being poor-quality or unavailable. In many cases, child laborers live on their parents’ farm, and in the worst situations they are trafficked from surrounding areas. 

There is reportedly a consistent stream of buses coming from Burkina Faso into the Ivory Coast. These buses possibly transport child laborers. According to a Tulane University survey, roughly half of former migrant laborers that participated reported they were not allowed to go back home, and over two-thirds disclosed that they were threatened or received physical violence 

Companies and organizations are working to reduce child labor, but the outlook is still not great. From 2009 to 2015, the number of child laborers was found to increase by tens of thousands. Luckily, the percentage going to school had increased by over 10%. There is still a lot of improvement needed, but there are some equity advancements being made.