More than 60 students at Chinook Middle School in Clyde Hill gathered in the library yesterday to hear one company's side of the child-labor story. Since learning about forced child labor on cocoa farms in West Africa, the students in Todd's world-cultures classes have snapped into action.
They wrote nearly 80 letters to Mars Inc., one of the largest chocolate makers in America, asking the company to sell products certified under the "Fair Trade" international system of monitoring and certification that's intended to guarantee farmers are paid a fair price for their product. Liliana Esposito, head of Mars' public relations, said she was impressed by the quality and quantity of the letters she received. In the spirit of educating young consumers, she set up two conference calls — the first to discuss the company's position, the second to allow the children to make recommendations.
"They were so excited that they got a response," Todd said, adding that she hadn't anticipated anything more than a form letter. "I think they just felt really empowered." Twelve students volunteered to represent their class in the conference call and signed a contract with Todd promising to take the responsibility seriously. In recent weeks, the students spent their after-school hours poring over labor contracts and joint agreements, highlighting agricultural surveys and boning up on statistics online.
Jack Gonya stepped to the microphone yesterday morning and read aloud a summary of the joint agreement signed by chocolate manufacturers worldwide — a statement that says child labor is unacceptable and must be eradicated by 2005. "My question is, like, um ... why wait until 2005?" he asked. Esposito said the company has already instituted some programs to improve the quality of life for cocoa farmers. She described 2005 as the absolute deadline for implementing a wide-scale plan to eradicate the exploitation of child labor.
One by one, the students hammered away at the question of why Mars Inc. would not adhere to the "Fair-Trade" rules. And one by one, Esposito addressed their concerns, reiterating the company position: After consulting with child-labor experts, the company came up with a different approach to the problem, she said. Instead of boycotting farms that use child labor, the company is working to educate farmers and ease the conditions that create the need for child labor. "I think it's great that kids at that age are interested in social issues," Esposito said after the conference call. "It's really refreshing to see."
After the conference call, the students milled about discussing their impressions. Harrison Lull said he found Esposito persuasive but questioned some of her facts. He said he thinks the company is taking the easy way out of the problem. "It all rides back to money," he said. "Even putting the 'Fair-Trade' label on their packages costs money." But Edward Nolan, who introduced the class position to Esposito at the start of the conference call, said he was not so sure the 'Fair-Trade' certification was the way to go. "Contrary to most people's opinion, I thought she gave a comprehensive and convincing argument," he said. "I thought it was very helpful to get the other side."