Equal Exchange Launches 5th Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat Halloween Drive to End Forced Child Labor in Cocoa Countries

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Equal Exchange Launches 5th Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat Halloween Drive to End Forced Child Labor in Cocoa Countries

2011 marks 10 years after Harkin-Engel Protocol called for end to the worst forms of child labor in cocoa-producing countries

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You & your kids can help tackle forced child labor on #cocoa farms with Reverse Trick-or-Treating this #Halloween http://3bl.me/r8gv42

Summary

It has now been 10 years since the cocoa/chocolate industry signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol obliging them to root out forced child labor in their supply chains. The Protocol was championed by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa) and Rep. Eliot Engel (NY) in the wake of a global scandal when reporters uncovered the practice of children being trafficked and forced to work against their will on cocoa farms in West Africa. When after five years there was no discernable progress Equal Exchange, in collaboration with human rights and advocacy groups like Global Exchange and the International Labor Rights Forum, launched the first Reverse Trick-or-Treating campaign. On Halloween 2006 thousands of children nationwide delivered informational cards and Fair Trade chocolates to over 100,000 households to raise awareness of the issue and of Fair Trade as a tool to help end forced child labor. Unfortunately the industry has still done far too little to tackle child labor, or the endemic poverty of cocoa farmers, so the Reverse Trick-or-Treating campaign is returning for the 5th year.

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Friday, September 30, 2011 - 2:50pm

NEWSROOM: Equal Exchange, Inc.

CONTENT: Press Release

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) West Bridgewater, MA - September 30, 2011 - This Halloween children, organizations, and businesses across the U.S. will help children forced to labor on African cocoa farms by participating in the 5th annual “Reverse Trick-or-Treating” campaign. By handing out informational cards along with organic, Fair Trade chocolates from West Bridgewater, MA-based Equal Exchange when they go trick-or-treating, participants bring attention to the thousands of children who have been trafficked and forced to work in exploitative conditions on West African cocoa farms.

To order Reverse Trick-or-Treating kits of 150 chocolates and cards, non-profit organizations, schools, businesses, congregations, youth groups, and other group participants should place orders the week of October 3-7 so they arrive on time for Halloween from www.equalexchange.coop/rtt. The information card may also be viewed or downloaded from that website. Individual participants or families can participate by visiting www.reversetrickortreating.org.

This year’s Reverse Trick-or-Treating program marks the 10^th anniversary of the September, 2011, signing of the Harkin-Engel Protocol that called for an end to the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa supply chains of the major chocolate companies. The campaign to raise awareness that there is a Fair Trade alternative to child labor is a join initiative of the San Francisco, CA-based human rights advocacy group Global Exchange and Equal Exchange and was launched in 2005, the year after the original Harkin-Engel deadline by when all signatories were to have ended the worst forms of child labor. Ten years after the protocol’s signing, most of its conditions have still not been met. In contrast, Equal Exchange sources its Fair Trade and organic cocoa from farms in the Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and Ecuador. The vanilla from Madagascar and sugar from Paraguay for Equal Exchange’s chocolate are also certified Fair Trade and organic.

The program has been popular thanks to the increasing awareness of, and concern about, child labor on cocoa farms. Indeed, in 2010 alone, participants reached over 200,000 households. It has been most popular (by order of participant numbers) in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Illinois, as well as in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington.

“When the leading chocolate companies signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol 10 years ago, many of today’s Trick-of-Treaters hadn’t even been born, yet child slavery in the cocoa fields continues,” said Kelsie Evans, Equal Exchange Chocolate Products Coordinator. “With Equal Exchange’s Reverse Trick-or-Treating program, today’s children can say ‘enough is enough’ and let consumers nationwide know that Fair Trade chocolate prohibits child or forced labor and trafficking and ensures farmers receive fair wages.”

Many Fair Trade advocacy organizations and religious denominations are actively pressing chocolate companies to adopt Fair Trade sourcing practices. In September, 2011, Global Exchange, Green America, and the International Labor Rights Forum, released “STILL Time to Raise the Bar: The Real Corporate Social Responsibility Report for the Hershey Company” as the company has been the least involved of the leading chocolate companies in adopting changes to its sourcing practices.

For more information, see:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/equalexchange?sk=app_208195102528120

Background information - http://www.equalexchange.coop/child-labor-in-the-cocoa-industry.

Global Exchange - www.reversetrickortreating.org

STILL Time to Raise the Bar - http://ilrf.org/stop-child-forced-labor/cocoa-campaign/news/as-profits-soar-chocolate-industry-fails-to-deliver-on-p

About Equal Exchange
A pioneer and U.S. market leader in Fair Trade since 1986, Equal Exchange is an award-winning, full service, nationwide provider of high quality organic coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, healthy snacks and bananas. Their organic, Fair Trade cocoa-based products include nine 3.5 oz bars ranging from 38% to 80% cocoa content, bite-size .16 oz chocolate ‘minis’, hot cocoa mix, spicy hot cocoa mix, and baking cocoa.

100% of Equal Exchange products are fairly traded, benefiting more than 40 small farmer co-operatives in 22 countries. In keeping with its Fair Trade mission and belief in economic democracy, Equal Exchange is a worker co-operative, owned and governed by its 110 employees, with offices, warehouses and/or cafes in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon. Equal Exchange Minis are vegan, and gluten- and soy-free.

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EE17260

Contact

Kelsie Evans

kevans@equalexchange.coop

Equal Exchange

http://www.EqualExchange.coop

https://www.facebook.com/equalexchange?sk=app_208195102528120

NEWSROOM: Equal Exchange, Inc.

CONTENT: Press Release

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Equal Exchange Launches 5th Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat Halloween Drive to End Forced Child Labor in Cocoa Countries

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Equal Exchange Launches 5th Annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat Halloween Drive to End Forced Child Labor in Cocoa Countries

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