Cocoa Production Essay

The production of cocoa in the chocolate industry has a long history of trafficking and child labor. Children are exposed to chemicals, long working hours and are often taken from home to work in these harsh environments. The low prices in the cocoa industry have left farmers with poor incomes and with no choice but to pull their children from school and have them work on the plantations. Because of this little chance of educational access, “families in the cocoa sector are caught in a vicious cycle of poverty”(International Labor Rights Forum, 2014).

Because of the immense decrease in farmer’s income due to the low cocoa prices at the time, many adult laborers left the industry to seek better payment (International Labor Rights Forum, 2014). Pressure to boost “productivity resulted in pressure to recruit more workers including children who may or may not be paid fairly” (Dunn, 2014). It its vital to increase farmers income by educating them to reach a higher productivity, which will result in a better quality in cocoa production.

Cocoa producers have little to no bargaining power against the large multinational companies such as Nestle, Cargill and ADM, who control the supply chain and eventually conclude the livelihood of the farmers and their families.

International Labor Rights Forum is committed to fighting “forced child labor in the cocoa industry through public education, corporate campaigns and engagement with partners in West Africa to uncover issues and find solutions” (International Labor Rights Forum, 2014). Child trafficking in the cocoa sector is difficult to identify, the government must be improved to better identify and find a solution to the problem. Companies that are part of the cocoa supply chain “h...

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...itions. The fair trade certification process also monitors cocoa farms “for compliance with international human rights standards” (Sprague, 2014). In some cases this has detected forms of child labor and child trafficking (Sprague, 2014).

A leader in relation to this issue should adopt a mixed approach of both Consultative and Participative from Likert’s leadership theory. Consultative in the sense of assessing the situation, which could include conducting a PESTLE analysis whist also carefully listening to ideas. In addition, they should be participative by engaging with others and working closely to make a decision together.

There are no easy answers to a problem as complex as child labor and child trafficking. Putting a stop to this requires a lot of “action by national government, international agencies and private organizations alike” (Sprague, 2014).