Child slavery choc horror

Food giants vow to end cocoa farm hell

- LAURA COLGAN

TWO of the world’s biggest chocolate manufacturers have teamed up to try to end the practice of child slaves being used to picking the cocoa beans that make up most of our favourite sweet treats.

Western African countries such as Ghana and the Ivory Coast supply about 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa which is sold to international giants to be made into chocolate.

Data from the International Labour Organisation shows 2.1 million children work, including in forced labour, in cocoa production in these two west African nations alone.

Many of them start working at a young age to support their families and some are sent to cocoa farms by their relatives, who are unaware of the dangerous work environment and the lack of any provisions for an education.

But other children are abducted by traffickers and sold to cocoa farmers for just $34 (€33).