‘Every person ought to have the awareness that purchasing is always a moral, and not simply an economic, act’, Pope Francis said last year. This ‘awareness’ is never more relevant than when buying chocolate writes Rosie Hoban from Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH).

As consumers we have lots of chocolate choices, but the most compelling choice is whether we buy chocolate that is slavery-free or not. The flavours and brands are less important.

This Easter, Australians will spend almost $2 billion on chocolate. That’s a staggering amount. Much of the chocolate is produced using cocoa beans picked by children in West Africa. The International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) estimates that there are about 1.5 million children working in the cocoa sector in West Africa, many of whom have been enslaved, or forced to work in exploitative conditions. Continue reading →