Press release

We have two very exciting pieces of news about our cocoa campaign from this week that will help us continue pushing for an end to child labor in this sector.

First, ILRF released a new report analyzing the causes behind continuing poverty among cocoa farmers in West Africa, and how that poverty perpetuates child labor and other labor rights abuses. The Fairness Gap: Farmer Incomes and Root Cause Solutions to Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry is the product of nearly two years of research and dialogue with diverse actors in the industry and identifies strategies to lift up the perspectives of farmers.

The second news is that Business Ethics Network announced today that ILRF is a co-recipient of the 2014 BENNY Award for the Raise the Bar, Hershey Campaign! Together with Green America and Global Exchange this campaign tipped the fifth of the five largest chocolate companies into a commitment to greater supply chain accountability and paved the way for more farmer-centered solutions.

The response we have gotten to our report makes us confident we are on the right track calling for solutions that focus on the rights and needs of cocoa farmers. The BENNY Award further confirms the value of this approach.

We hope this report will boost our cocoa work, advancing a new phase of dialogue and advocacy for farmer-centered strategies that improve the cocoa trade. We also hope you will join us in this effort:

This holiday season, please think about the farmers who make the chocolate treats we love possible. Help us spread the word and increase the call for cocoa farmers to get their Fair Share!

Thank you for all you do,

Judy Gearhart
International Labor Rights Forum