Is Your Chocoholism Supporting Child Slavery? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Is Your Chocoholism Supporting Child Slavery?

Where Are You Getting Your Chocolate From?

25
Is Your Chocoholism Supporting Child Slavery?
Pixabay.com

Have you ever wondered how your favorite chocolate comes to be, or who are the people behind making it possible for you to indulge? As I sat in class two weeks ago, I learned a lot about this. I can honestly say that I feel terrible for ever purchasing and eating certain chocolate brands, one of them being Hershey. As I put more thought into this, I realized that it really disgusts and pains me for consuming their products.

Hershey and Ghirardelli, among other brand companies, are the most unethical producers of everyone's favorite candy. What's so shocking about this is that people still buy their products, not knowing that people are suffering in order to produce their favorite candy bars.

I have put so much time into this and it saddens me to think that Hershey and other companies profit from forced child labor in West Africa. It's so ironic to think that those ads you see on TV are always encouraging you to purchase them for your loved ones during special occasions. What is even more ironic is that a Hershey kiss is supposed to represent an extra kiss for your loved ones. This is truly appalling to me, considering that Hershey is one of the biggest companies to violate human rights. Children are forced to work in order to help support their families. Knowing this, I vow to never eat any Hershey products again until Hershey agrees to join Fair Trade.

As the holiday is upon us, I ask for you to do the same. I do not stand with supporting child labor. I think that the worst part about buying products from these companies is that many consumers are unaware that they are supporting an endless cycle of abuse. If more people knew that every piece of delicious chocolate that you consume has the blood of innocent children within it, would that change anything? Children are being torn apart from their families and forced to work long hours just to make a profit for these companies. The brutality that children go through needs to come to an end, and you can help this happen by consuming Fair Trade products. Next time you think of purchasing Hershey products, please keep in mind that children as young as six are being forced to work extremely long hours for very low amounts of pay, sometimes less than $2 a day.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

10 Facts All People In A Large Family Can Confirm During The Holiday Season

The holiday season can be the best and most stressful time of the year, especially when more people are involved.

1067
kids jumping

The holidays are full of lights, sweets, sweaters, and your favorite movies. There's nothing quite like this period from the beginning of December through January. Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. The fun of it all.

I don't know about you but with my large Italian family something is always going on during this season. It can be the most wonderful time of the year while also being the most hectic. These are a few things you know if your family is anything like mine during this time.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over
reference.com

To those who celebrate, you just spent an entire day cooking an elaborate meal with all of your favorite foods. You probably ate your body weight in pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. What happens now? Oh yea, Christmas. It’s time to take out all of the decorations and Christmas themed things that have been sitting in the attic since last year; it’s time to make a reappearance. So, here are 10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

4364
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

2677
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

202062
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments