Do you know where your chocolate comes from?

Nearly half the world's chocolate is made from cocoa grown in the Cote d'lvoire, West Africa.

The following is an extract from an article in 'OASIS newsround issue4' (For more information about OASIS go to www.oasisuk.org.)

"It is estimated that some 15,000 Malian children work on Ivorian cocoa and coffee plantations. Many are under 12 years of age, sold into indentured servitude for £50, and work 12-hour days for as little as 25p a day."

These children are trafficked into forced labour just so we can eat chocolate. This has a particular irony when you remember that in 2007 we have been celebrating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

The UK chocolate industry cannot guarantee that our chocolate is Traffik-Free. Currently, the only chocolate which we know has not used forced labour in its production shows the Fair Trade logo.

STOP THE TRAFFIK, a global coalition of which Oasis is the founding partner, has launched the Chocolate Campaign, with one key aim: to ensure that all chocolate companies give a Traffik-Free Guarantee on all their chocolate.

The campaign has already gained lots of publicity, and raised many people's awareness of the problem. But it doesn't end there. The forced labour still goes on, and we need your continued support to make it stop. Thank you to everyone who has supported STOP THE TRAFFIK and the Chocolate Campaign. And if you're only just finding out about it, please consider getting involved!

What can I do?

Choose to only eat chocolate that is guaranteed to be "Traffik-Free". For a list, see the Good Chocolate Guide at www.stopthetraffik.org
Ask your supermarket and corner shop to stock Fair Trade and ethically sourced chocolate. There is a draft letter at www.stopthetraffik.org as well as a poster you could ask them to display.
Take part in the chocolate survey http://www.stopthetraffik.org/chocolatedownloads/survey.pdf
Put on a display at your church, community group or school showing the reality of cocoa slavery, and ask your friends, neighbours and colleagues to pledge to only eat Traffik-Free chocolate.
Talk to businesses in your area - ask them to change their choice of chocolate in their vending machines or canteens.
Ask your local MP whether he or she condemns the use of trafficked labour in cocoa farms. Ask them to go public in their support.
Tell us what you're doing via STOP THE TRAFFIK's myspace page at: www.myspace.com/stopthetraffik

There are many more ideas and resources to help you fight for a Traffik-Free Guarantee on chocolate at www.stopthetraffik.org