The chocolate industry, dominated by major companies like Hershey’s, Nestlé, and Mars, remains under scrutiny for its continued reliance on child labor in cocoa harvesting, particularly in West Africa. Despite promises made two decades ago to eradicate such practices, these companies have repeatedly failed to fulfill their commitments.

About two-thirds of the world's cocoa supply comes from Africa, where over 2 million children, some as young as 10, are engaged in dangerous labor to harvest cocoa. These children are often employed at extremely low wages or, in many cases, receive no wages. Children are exposed to hazardous working conditions, such as handling sharp tools, carrying heavy loads, and using pesticides. These are considered the most severe forms of child labor, according to international law. Major chocolate makers agreed to commitments in 2001 to end reliance on child labor by 2005–they failed to do so. They have now extended their deadline to eliminate the worst forms of child labor in their supply chains to 2025.

Meanwhile, child welfare advocates have initiated a federal lawsuit urging the federal government to prohibit the import of cocoa harvested by child labor in the absence of actions by major chocolate makers..

We demand that Hershey’s, Nestlé, and Mars immediately cease using child labor in cocoa harvesting. It is unacceptable for these corporations to profit while exploiting children. We urge these companies to honor their decades-old promise and take concrete, verifiable steps to eliminate child labor from their supply chains immediately, not several years down the road.

Sign the petition: Demand Hershey, Nestlé, and Mars end child labor practices!