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Why slavery still exists: Those on 'chocolate trail' put blame on someone else
Keep track of your assignments by using the iQuest Project Checklist.
Blog Info
User Name: slavery
Password: chocolate
"There may be a hidden ingredient in the chocolate cake you baked, the candy bars you sold for your school fund-raiser, or that fudge-ripple ice cream cone you enjoyed on Saturday afternoon", says Sudarsan Raghavan and Sumana Chatterjee Knight Ridder Newspapers Reporters.
Slave labor.
Forty-three
percent of the world's cocoa beans, the raw material in chocolate, come from small,
scattered farms in this poor West African country of Ivory Coast. In addition,
on 
some
farms, boys sold or tricked into slavery do the hot, hard work of harvesting the
fruit." (The Inquirer) Most are between 12 and 16;
some are as young as nine. Many are lured from their hometowns with the promise
of good-paying jobs, taken to Ivory Coast, and sold by traffickers to farmers
for less than $50. The boy, pictured here, is an ex-slave; he escaped to freedom,
and to share his story.
In this investigation, you will learn more about how chocolate production intertwines with slavery and how you may be contributing to this problem. To accomplish this task, you will have to become familiar with the topic by reading newspaper articles and reports and communicate with people who know about this supposed long forgotten violation of basic human rights slavery.
By now, you are probably surprised and angered that children, like you, are actually enslaved on cocoa farms today. The cocoa beans shipped to America become the chocolate products we all enjoy. Governments, businesses, and nonprofit agencies around the world are discussing this problem currently. The purpose of this iQuest Project is to explore possible solutions to these many human rights violations, as you reach a greater understanding of human and civil rights, governmental structure, and current international affairs. Your task will be to ask good questions, access current information, analyze the validity of sources, reach consensus with your iQuest Team, take action, and explain the consequences; all in an effort to answer one primary question:
Can
child slavery be stopped on the Ivory Coast cocoa plantation farms?
Keep an open mind, and try not to reach a conclusion before your investigation is complete. You will be assessed on how you process information, support your point of view, communicate effectively, and collaborate with your iQuest team members. Good Luck!
The
United Nations is assembling a group of specialists to investigate who is profiting
from this violation of international law, what cocoa farms are violating human
rights, where are the enslaved children, why child slavery is still happening,
and most importantly, how can the enslavement of children be stopped? 
Each of the iQuest
teams will present their findings at the World
Summit concerning the Special Session on Children. It will be the responsibility
of the iQuest
team members to evaluate the evidence, investigate and draw conclusions to the
questions proposed, and determine a solution to the human rights violation of
the practice of child enslavement on cocoa farms.
Begin Here...
Step 2 Analyze the problem from multiple perspectives
First, read the following articles to become familiar with the topic. When finished, each of you need to answer the following online questions for 20 points individual.
Next, take a look at the two slide show links below. Then enter your thoughts, feelings, and ideas as comments on the weblog - 20 points individual. Remember to check the item off on your iQuest Project Checklist.
Slide Show 1 - Enter your comments on the weblog
Slide Show 2 - Enter your comments on the weblog
RELATED LINKS:
Chocolate industry accepts responsibility for child labor practices
Now study additional facts about the issue of child slavery and chocolate. Read the entire online page and answer the online questions worth 20 points individual. For BONUS points, remember to the weblog as soon as you can. Emotions seem to fade as time goes by.
Review
each of the audio/video clips to the left. 
On the weblog, comment on each of the four video/audio segments in at least a
paragraph. 20 points individual
Finally,
for this section, listen to a program called Radio
Times With Marty Moss-Coane
on "Child Slavery and the American Chocolate Industry." (Only
listen to the first hour) You will hear from Knight-Ridder reporters SUDARSAN
RAGHAVAN and SUMANA CHATTERJEE. Their series, A Taste of Slavery, thus
our title, has inspired calls for the abolishment of indentured labor 
and
child trafficking. In addition, you will get the reaction of SUSAN SMITH, with
the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association. When finished listening, each of you
need to enter a response entry into the weblog titled "Radio Times",
- 20 points individual.
- BBC On Line - the British Broadcasting Company, reporter Elizabeth Blunt - elizabethblunt@hotmail.com
- UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the largest organization in the world dedicated to improving the lives of children, their families and communities: Sandee Borgman, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Regional Program Manager, 333 East 38th Street - 5th floor NY, NY 10016 (212) 880-9135, E-mail: sborgman@unicefusa.org
- M&M/Mars, consumer.affairs@mmmars.com and askmms@mmmars.com
- The BCCCA , Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance's, is a trade association representing one of the UK food industry's largest sectors. office@bccca.org.uk
Step 2 - Analyze the problem from multiple perspectives
Now its time to look at child slavery from several different perspectives. Each perspective has it's own point of view, and offers a unique solution to the complex problems that frame slavery. Each iQuest team will be assigned a role as follows: Groups A Cocoa Farmers, Groupd B Government Officials, and Group C NGOs. To make sure your team members fully understand their roles, open and review all of the dossiers below to learn about each group's responsibilities. After you have explored each role, open the role your group has been assigned, and start your quest.
Presenter Responsibilities
It is time for your iQuest team to share what you all have learned about the connection between child slavery and chocolate. You have become an expert on your role's point of view, and the people attending the World Summit need to learn about child slavery from your perspective. Your iQuest team will be given ten minutes to explain how, if at all, child slavery will be stopped on these cocoa plantation farms and you must explain your reasoning. Pictures, video & audio clips, and quotes from your research can only strengthen your presentation.
It is your job to present your perspective effectively. If you choose to do a PowerPoint presentation, it is your responsibility to make sure the program will work before the day of the World Summit. Be creative. You may want to take a quick look at a possible grading rubric that describes an excellent presentation.
Audience Responsibilities
As a member of the World Summit Audience, your job is to listen carefully to each presentation. You will be called upon to participate on a Summit Subcommittee that will ultimately decide how the United Nations should proceed. While listening to the other perspectives:
- Write down the other role's answer to the "Big Question."
- Create a list of points your role would support and reject.
Several separate Summit Subcommittees have been established to develop a recommendation on how the UN should proceed. Each Subcommittee should consist of one expert from each role, so developing a recommendation will not be an easy task. You must discuss, persuade, argue, deal, and brainstorm a plan of attack. You will not all agree on the best way to present your action plan, but you must reach a consensus. You may find that you must agree to disagree in order to find the best solution. Compromise is a difficult reality.
Your final product will be a persuasive essay that expresses your subcommittee's best efforts. Refer to the essay rubric for details. Also, check out this site that can assist your group as you plan and write - Persuasive Essay Rubric.
Your final responsibility will be to share your Subcommittee report with a "real-world" contact. This will give you the opportunity to receive feedback from an expert that has not been part of the project.
First, you must find a contact. You may remember an email contact in one of your research artifacts. You might want to send your recommendation to one of the experts who researched the articles for the Philadelphia Inquirer and participated in the radio program listed above, or, send your report to one of the many who are making a difference:
-
Global Exchange - fairtrade@globalexchange.org
-
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, is the largest organization in the world dedicated to improving the lives of children, their families and communities: Sandee Borgman, U.S. Fund for UNICEF Regional Program Manager, 333 East 38th Street - 5th floor NY, NY 10016 (212) 880-9135, E-mail: sborgman@unicefusa.orgSudarsan Raghavan, reporter - sraghavan@phillynews.com
-
M&M/MARS at consumer.affairs@mmmars.com and askmms@mmmars.com
-
Sumana Chatterjee, reporter - schatterjee@krwashington.com
-
Susan S. Smith, Sr. Vice President of Public & Legislative Affairs with the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association - susan.smith@candyusa.org
-
Sheena Hanley, Education International - sheena.hanley@ei-ie.org
Write an introduction to your email that will provide your contact with the background information they will need to understand your recommendations. Be sure to tell your contact that you are seeking feedback. Cut and paste your Take a Stand report into the body of the email or send your report as an attachment.
Make sure that all the members in your group have proof read the email message before sending it. Grammatical errors will result in lost points.
Send your email. Make sure that you 'cc' (carbon copy) your teacher, so that he or she has a copy of your work.
NOTE: The final step in this process involved you, the student, taking action to assist in the solution to child slavery. An alternative was taken in this process, in that, all of the editorials, detailing your sub committee's recommendations are being made available for all to read and marvel over - really! Congratulations!
Click here to read the Sub Committee Essays in February 2004.
No one will say that children should suffer. No one will say that children should work 14 hours a day. But who will step forward to stop this?
On June 17, 1999, members of the International Labor Organization unanimously voted to stop the worst forms of child labor, the world community made a commitment to stop the suffering of millions of children. It was recognized that ending the commercial exploitation of children must be one of humankind's top priorities. It was accepted as a cause that demands immediate attention and immediate action.
Many governments, organizations, and individuals are stepping forward to meet this challenge. Governments have ratified treaties. NGOs, trade unions, and some businesses have launched innovative programs to protect children. Ordinary people have readily given whatever they could to help this cause.
The real measure of success, however, is the difference being made in the lives of vulnerable children. Too often efforts have been limited by lack of information about the existence and extent of child slavery. Many times people simply don't know about the exploitation going on so close to their homes. Sometimes, though, people just choose to ignore it.
This iQuest activity presents in black and white what is known about the extent of child slavery. It is shocking to see that in an era of such tremendous material and technological advancement, children are being callously exploited. Your report will present a clear and undeniable challenge to the global community. It is a wake-up call for governments, an agenda for civil society, and an appeal to all people.
We can, we must, and we will stop the exploitation of children! It's time for our students to take a stand and tell the world what they believe.
The BBC's Humphrey Hawksley "The confectionery industry said it would see what it could do" real 56k
David Bull of the UN Children's Fund "The wider issues are clearly very important" real 56
The BBC's Liz Blunt "The nights events were bitterly disappointing" real 56k
The Biscuit, Cake and Chocolate Alliance's Bob Eagle "On no farms we have visited has slave labor occurred" real 28k Radio
Sidebar News:
Sandee Borgman is a 1979 Alumni of Southern Lehigh School District.
As an extension to this project, how would you like to organize a Fair Trade Chocolate Campaign in your community? There would be additional points available, in addition to a the excitement of self-empowerment. Click here for details
