We have been looking at the link between fair trade and human rights. We wanted to research how Fair Trade works and why it is important. We found out some shocking facts that will make us think about the products we buy in the shops.

• More than 4500 products are Fair Trade. We are not always buying these products.
• Some workers on unfair cocoa plantations are forced to work 12-18 hours a day and their only break is for sleep.
• Fair Trade farmers receive fair income for their work and better working conditions.
• Most cocoa plantations are in the Ivory Coast.
• Slaves working on unfair cocoa plantations can be beaten and hurt if they try to escape.
• 15000 children between the ages of 8-12 were working on cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast.
• The first US protocol to protect cocoa farmers was put into place on the 30th November 2001 but it did not last as there were too many loopholes.
• A cocoa worker on an unfair trade farm gets 1% of how much the bar is sold for.
• Children end up being sold to cocoa plantations to help the family make money. Children can be sold for as little as $1. Some children are trafficked for work.
• In Pakistan children as young as 5 are forced to work for 11 hours a day.
• 43% of the world’s cocoa plantation are in the Ivory Coast and use underpaid workers, children or slaves.
• Fair Trade products are not just limited to food. Footballs can also be Fair Trade. Fair Trade cotton allows for clothes to be Fair Trade.