Halloween is the peak time for chocolate sales, and so it is the worst time for children working in the cocoa industry.

In February, our family became aware of the exploitation of children in the cocoa industry. Forty percent of the world's cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast, and much of this is exported to North America. When world cocoa prices plummeted a few years ago, the use of child labour in cocoa production greatly increased, forcing children and their families to live in appalling conditions and preventing these children from going to school.

Sadly, in the Ivory Coast child slavery has also become a huge problem, with thousands of children being either tricked or sold into slavery. Much of the chocolate we consume in North America is tainted with child slavery and child labour. Child labour is also widely used to produce products such as coffee, tea and sugar.

Our children decided at Easter that they didn't want slave chocolate. Although it was a hard decision to give up chocolate, it was they who asked to inform the Easter Bunny that they did not want any slave chocolate at Easter, even if that meant that they received no chocolate at all.

Our family continues to enjoy chocolate but we buy only Fair Trade products, as we cannot in good conscience consume products that are tainted with child slavery.

This is what Cameron, 9, said: "We were worried that the Easter Bunny had slave chocolate and that it would take more slaves to harvest more cocoa for Easter. So we asked the Easter Bunny not to bring slave chocolate and buy something else instead. Even though we would miss the chocolate."

Serena, 5,: "I want the slaves to be free. I want the farmers to make the slaves not do so much work. The companies should be kind to the children so they can survive and so that their scars can heal."

I am on the mailing list for Global Exchange which has a Fair Trade campaign underway for Halloween. We talked about that as a family and my son Christian, 7, made this comment.

"People give us chocolate at Halloween. It creates a demand and that means more slaves and more cocoa beans. Please do not give anyone chocolate this Halloween. Only Fair Trade chocolate. ÎItâs too expensive' is no excuse because slaves have to work and suffer to get cocoa beans. You should save money until you have enough to buy Fair Trade chocolate and if you don't have enough then don't buy any. We don't buy it as much as we did. I feel good that we donât buy as much because more money goes to the farmers when we buy Fair Trade. But I miss eating so much chocolate and I hope that the companies will start using Fair Trade chocolate so I can eat Kit Kats and M&M's again."

This is what Global Exchange is suggesting: This Halloween, Global Exchange is asking kids and adults - to send Mars a piece of Halloween candy made by Mars, along with a note asking the company to sell Fair Trade. Mars knows that kids love chocolate. If kids across the nation stand up and say "I care enough about Fair Trade to give up some of my chocolate," Mars will know we are really serious! Adults can do this too. Tell the company you "arenŐt satisfied with the product" because it is tainted with the bitter taste of exploitation!

Global Exchange has free Fair Trade chocolate stickers and postcard sets for kids (one about Fair Trade, another to send for K-12 educational materials and a third to send to Mars With Mars brand chocolate). It also lists where you can get Fair Trade chocolate.

Here is their website:

www.globalexchange.org/ccoa  

Kristy McNab is a veterinarian, mother of three and a chocoholic living near Peterborough, Ontario.