Documentary Films Reveal Child Labor Practices in Cocoa Industry
Following the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Doe v. Nestle, International Rights Advocates is now making plans to get back to Cote D’Ivoire to continue our investigation and meet with additional children who have been forced to harvest cocoa for the many multinational companies who continue to profit from child slavery. While our case was pending on appeal, the evidence continued to mount that child slavery is still a thriving practice in the cocoa sector of Cote D’Ivoire. On July 30, 2015, Tulane University released its final report confirming that literally millions of children continue to work harvesting cocoa for the international market. This highly detailed report was produced with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Also produced while our case was pending on appeal are two independent films documenting with shocking video the ongoing widespread use of child labor harvesting cocoa for multinational companies. The first, The Dark Side of Chocolate [available here], was produced by R. Roberto Romano and Miki Mistrati and shows the graphic reality of child slavery. The second, Shady Chocolate [available here], produced by Miki Mistrati, documents the failed promises of the multinational cocoa companies to establish meaningful programs to end child labor in the cocoa sector.
We will keep you posted on our renewed investigation and the progress of our case, first filed in 2005, to bring three of the multinational cocoa giants, Nestle, Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland, to justice.
John Doe I, et al. v. Nestle USA, Inc., et al.