NIN Web Desk : In today’s world, chocolate has become an inseparable part of every happy moment. When we think of sweets, we think of chocolate. From children to the elderly, chocolate is a universal favorite. But the truth behind how chocolate is made is both shocking and heartbreaking. The most beloved treat of childhood—chocolate—is, ironically, produced by exploiting the very essence of childhood. This beloved product is at the center of a global industry that often thrives on the loss of innocent childhoods.
Let’s uncover the mystery behind how chocolate robs children of their childhood:
1. The main ingredient in chocolate is cocoa, which is primarily grown in parts of Africa and South America. Major cocoa-producing countries include Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast in West Africa, as well as Brazil and Ecuador in the Amazon basin. Cocoa beans are harvested from these regions and are then processed into chocolate.
2. The dark truth is that child labor is widely used in the cocoa industry. Every year, large numbers of children are trafficked from third-world countries such as India and Bangladesh. Many of these trafficked children are taken to countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and South Africa. India, particularly through illegal networks, also plays a significant role in this trade.
3. According to UNICEF, around 12.6 million children in India are engaged in hazardous work every year, making them vulnerable to trafficking. Countries like Bangladesh, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and South Africa also report high numbers of child trafficking. The border areas of West Bengal, India, see a rising trend of children trafficked from neighboring Bangladesh.
4. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that globally over 1.2 million children are trafficked annually. However, due to the secretive and criminal nature of human trafficking, the actual numbers may be even higher and harder to verify.
5. A 2024 report by the United Nations reveals that between 2020 and 2023, 38% of all identified human trafficking victims were children—22% were girls and 16% boys.
Most of these trafficked children are forced into labor, especially in cocoa farms in South Africa and other countries. In many cases, these children are subjected to extreme abuse, and some are victims of organ trafficking as well. They work under inhumane conditions for minimal wages to collect cocoa beans—the very foundation of chocolate.
It is deeply disturbing that chocolate, a treat most loved by children, is produced through the exploitation of other children’s lost childhoods. Their innocence and future are sacrificed for the sweet delight enjoyed by the rest of the world. This harsh reality calls for greater public awareness and stronger government action to address and end such exploitation.
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