Chocolate Slavery by Apreia Cooper

There is a surprising connection between slavery and chocolate where young boys are being put under forced labor in africa. Cote d'lvoire is a west african country that is a leading exporter of cocoa beans to the world wide market. Young boys ages twelve through sixteen are being bought there to be put into a life of servitude and forced labor working on cocoa farms to pick the pods from which we get chocolate. The chocolate a lot of us love and eat could have been picked by a young african slave through trade relations.

It is seriously a sad condition of which most boys are trapped into the cocoa harvesting also. A lot of them get taken from a poor area ,Mali, where a lot of poverty is ,and leave with trafficers in hope of a better life and money.It is such a common situation that agents look for begging kids a bus stations to lure them in to be sold into slavery in Cote d'lvoire.The kids don't realize they are being tricked into a life that's was worse than poverty so they go with these strangers who they think are "God Sent."

The truth of the fact is that these poor kids get sold into a life that is terribly inhumane. They don't get payed a dime for the labor they do, but are worked from day to night. On top of that they don't get fed very well at all and would probably would have been better off begging. A lot of times the "masters" only give the children corn paste to eat and probably not even a decently filling serving but enough to keep them from keeling over.

That isn't even the worst part these kids get abused and are beaten with weapons like bike chains and tree branches that scar these kids that leave cuts, open wounds, and bruises. How disgusting. Then they are caged up like animals at night to keep them from running away.

Slaves are kept in rooms that could measure to about 24 feet by 20 feet; not that bad right? How about that much space for like.... eighteen people. They all sleep on a wooden plank and the room is shut off with only a hole in it big enough to let air in. They aren't even allowed to walk outside after being shut in to use the bathroom. Therefore all the boys have to use the bathroom in a can placed in the room; no privacy, like some kind of animal.

A lot of people try to escape chocolate slavery though a lot of people won't try because of the severe beatings the ones who get caught had recieved. Though I don't see why because any time masters felt like they weren't working enough or when ever they wanted to for that fact they beat the slaves.

There are about 600,000 cocoa farms in Cote d'lvoire with about as many as 15,000 kids on them. Cote d'lvoire has been depending on exports of cocoa since the 1880's so I guarantee this is an issue that is going to continue for some time. That means more african kids will most likely fall into this insane area of forced labor.

There are many organizations and companies (like UNICEF) that are trying to stop the use of kids for child labor. It is a horrible situation for something so liked by billions of people to have so much hurt and suffering behind it. Hopefully it will make you think the next time you eat chocolate about the feelings of a young african laborer that could have possibly picked the chocolate you are going to eat.

The Colombian Exchange transformed the world in a more radical (thoroughgoing or extreme, esp. as regards change from accepted or traditional forms) way than any other development in world history. One significant effect of this process(a systematic series of actions directed to some end) was the establishment of the Triangle Trade. While many factors were a part of the Triangle Trade, the rapid growth in both supply and demand for new commodities was the largest motivating element. This time period may be best associated(having connection to; having part in)with economic developments, but it is impossible to analyze(to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results) this period without considering the intense social impact that the Triangle Trade had on those involved. In truth, a full understanding can only be gained by appreciating(to value or regard highly) how economic and social factors( One that actively contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process)impact each other in history.

The colombian exchange made a drastic mark on the world. It allowed for a system of trade to be developed that boosted the supply and demand of products for businesses. This is why the period is often related to the economic status because it brought in money but it also did another thing; it opened up social contact for people, to other people with supply and businesses. Ultimately economics and communication are inseparable because you can't do one without the other, and you can't change one without effecting the other.