The more I read into the context of child slavery in the chocolate industry in the Ivory Coast the more I realise how complex this issue is. Yes, we all have a responsibility as consumers to know where the things we buy come from and the implications of buying into certain commodities. And together we can boycott companies implicated in exacerbating or turning a blind eye to these problems. Often the stories of where things come from is hidden from view of consumers.
It is one thing to know this in theory, but quite another to change your behaviour accordingly
But this is only part of the issue, Poverty and unemployment in neighbouring Mali (with little or no exports) forces parents to send their children out to work in neighbouring Ivory coast instead of receiving an education. Schools are simply too expensive. Boys and Girls who are desperate for money and far from home are trafficked to the Ivory coast in the hope of earning money. faced with the reality of forced labour, children in this situation are left with physical and psychological scars.
To release a child from bondage is a responsibility because these children need somewhere to go, They require physical and emotional support, A safe place to go, Food and and an insight into the reasons why they have been sold into slavery.
The Ivory coast is the worlds largest producer of coca (about 33% of the worlds supply of coca comes from the Ivory coast). This represents about a third of the economy and is so many people depend on coca farming for a livelihood. Coca is an economically unstable crop and so the livelihood of farmers depends on something they can't control ( the world market value of coca). When market process drop, profits do too, making it more likely that child slavery will occur. (the draw of cheap labour )
Not all of the chocolate that has origins in the ivory coast is produced under forced labour, but the beans are mixed up and Ethical farms (who don't use child labour and pay their workers a living wage ) don't get enough for their crop, with only about 3% of their produce reaching the price it should when it is sold up the chain to distributors.
With Coca being such an important export and loose definitions of what child slavery means in policy making ( both internationally and in the Ivory coast. government policies which do little or nothing to tackle the causes of child slavery in this context or the effect felt by children on the ground. We are left with a serious dilemma.
Academics meet in conferences to talk about the problems of slavery in this context but with the aim of raising awareness , In the hope that increased public knowledge will lead to boycotting key players in the industry who have been perpetuating child slavery in the ivory coast ( and other places) Nestle, Hershey's...
I believe that design has a vital role to play in many aspects of this context:
In the rehabilitation of child slaves in the Ivory coast
In the education of traditional families and communities of the dangers of sending children out to work in the Ivory coast.
In the education through experience of children in the west to inform future consumer choices and build empathy
In directly challenging large chocolate manufacturers and coca suppliers with changing their rules around what is accepted and what is not in their product. Companies must insist on knowing where their products come from and the implications of the work they do ( not just financial).