Copresented by the Young Professionals of WorldOregon and Rose City Book Pub
The world’s largest chocolate companies promised to eradicate child labor from their supply chains 20 years ago. But today, these same companies say they cannot guarantee that the chocolate you buy is free from child labor.
About two-thirds of the world’s cocoa supply comes from West Africa, and in 2015 the U.S. Labor Department reported that more than 2 million children were performing dangerous labor to harvest cocoa. These kids are swinging machetes, carrying heavy loads, spraying pesticides — all considered the “worst forms of child labor” under international law.
6,500 words, about 30 minutes
(If the article is pay-walled, click here to read)
If you prefer to listen to the article, you can create a Text-To-Speech mp3 for free here. The TTS is a robotic voice, but many people get used to it fairly quickly.
The Longreads Club
The Longreads Club is a twice-monthly program hosted by WorldOregon's Young Professionals group. Join us for Longreads Club where we discuss a long-form article focused on global topics every other week. Rather than skim the headlines, we are trying to dive deep and learn from each other to gain a better understanding of world events. No membership or registration required - although it's nice to know who's coming so RSVPs are encouraged. Read the article, show up, and join the discussion!
NOTE: Although this event is organized by the Young Professionals Steering Committee at WorldOregon, it is open to everyone. You don't need to identify as young nor professional to attend. In fact, it is better to have a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
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