PRESS RELEASES

STOP THE TRAFFIK demands for traffik free chocolate

STOP THE TRAFFIK is a global coalition of over 1000 member organisations and active in over 50 countries and who delivered over 1.5 million declarations to the UN to call for change on February 13th 2008.

We are running a high profile global campaign asking the chocolate industry to eradicate exploitative child labour from their supply chains so that the chocolate we eat is slave free.

In 2001 the chocolate industry committed to remove all exploitative labour from its supply chain.  They failed to meet their 2005 deadline and are now failing to meet their 2008 deadline. They have watered down their promises, re-written history and there is still an estimated 12,000 children trafficked into Ivory Coast from neighbouring countries to work as slaves on cocoa plantations. The industry has had 7 years. 

Steve Chalke says, "Listen carefully to what the chocolate industry says. Believe me, when they can give us the guarantee that the chocolate we eat is free of exploitative child labour, they will say so. At the moment they can’t. So we must protest and only buy chocolate that can give that promise such as fairly traded chocolate."

We are tired of hearing excuses, how long it takes, how impossible it is but every minute the industry makes profit and the children are trafficked. 

STOP THE TRAFFIK with all its global partners calls on industry to sign up to the "Commitment to Ethical Cocoa Sourcing" pledge. (see web site)

Would you eat the chocolate if the wrapper showed you the picture of the child who had suffered in order for you to get it?

"When you eat the chocolate you eat my flesh" Rescued trafficked child

www.stopthetraffik.org

For more information – Ruth Dearnley 07795606708

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