Help Make a Difference - Make Your Chocolate Fair Trade This Easter and All Year Round

March 27, 2015

Editor: Sisters of Mercy and our Partners-in-ministry working on opposing Human Trafficking are asking that we choose Fair Trade chocolate this Easter and all year round.

It is estimated that of the 4 million tons of cocoa beans produced annually, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) produce 70% of the world’s cocoa supply. Research by the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) shows that many cocoa farming families survive on real incomes of about 40 cents per dependent per day. Such low earnings make it difficult for farmers to pay hired labourers at the legally required minimum wage. Consequently, child labour, including child trafficking, is common. The ILRF estimates that between 500,000 and 1.5 million children are engaged in child labour. (The Fairness Gap 64pps; PDF)

Farmers operating with Fairtrade Certification, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ Certified (see logos on right) are engaging in good labour practices. When you choose your chocolate this Easter (and from now on) please support them.