It wasn't until recently that I read an article in the Daily Labor Report about child labor being "curtailed" on cocoa farms that got me wondering: Are we supporting fair trade or slave trade when it comes to some of the luxuries we in the West consume?  Anti-Slavery.org has some information about what to look for when you are trying to verify whether something is free trade or not.  Our federal government is also taking steps to create a TVPRA list (Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005) that will eventually be published in the Federal Register and on the Department of Labor's website so the government (this means you) will know which goods are produced by forced or child labor and prevent such products from being imported into the United States.

Did you realize that cocoa farms use child labor?  How and/or will this affect your future chocolate purchases?? Will you start looking for free trade certifications on imported goods?  Let's discuss.

Namaste.

Photo credit: romanlily (Flickr)