The sweet delicacy known as chocolate holds a devastating ingredient: Cocoa. Large-scale companies such as Hershey, Nestle, Mars, and many others continue to source their cocoa from farmers in the Ivory Coast that use child labor. Millions of children in the affected area work countless hours harvesting this product, preventing them from going to school and receiving a proper education. The farms producing this cocoa face desperate circumstances. Competition of prices is so high that the businesses underpay the farmers, causing them to resort to child labor to earn a living. Cote D'Ivoire's economy comes mainly from their cocoa trade, meaning if these billion-dollar companies discontinue their sourcing, there will be catastrophic outcomes for the livelihood of the people.

    For the companies to resolve the issue, it must be addressed and brought to light. Thousands of farms will be relieved of their financial instability and have a thriving business, as well as millions of children, be saved from the dangerous working conditions and receive the education they need. If this ongoing issue persists, there will be no justice for the struggling cocoa farmers and children around the world battling their problems. 

    The importance of this petition is to convince and persuade the companies that continue to source from child exploitation to help financially support the farmers. Everything traces back to the low income the cocoa farmers get for their product. The cocoa industry is a flourishing business while cocoa farms are barely hanging on by a thread, spiraling into a continuous cycle of injustice for the unfortunate. Success should not be an exclusive achievement for the wealthy, but it should be possible for anyone.