Did you know that child slavery and human trafficking is still a thing? Shocking, I know! How you celebrate this Halloween can contribute to ending human trafficking.
Last Halloween you may remember we wrote a blog post called Why You Should Throw Out That Nestlé Chocolate.
Generally, the reasons why you should consider boycotting Nestlé remain the same. There are still serious problems with drought in areas where Nestlé is bottling water and selling it to the very people suffering from the drought. Nestlé continues to seriously violate The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes causing illness and death to babies all over the world.
This year we wanted to shed light on the fact that child slavery and trafficking is still a thing. I know. I know. Halloween is fun! And we seem to have a theme of throwing a wet blanket over it. But we at Generations believe that we can have fun and we can make the world a better place. We also believe that regular people making small steps towards a better world is an effective and powerful way to change the world. You and I can make a difference.
In fact, people like you and I have already made a difference. Companies are addressing the issue of human trafficking because people like you are reading, learning, and listening to the world around them. Companies are hearing our voices that we are not comfortable sitting by any longer while unethical practices continue. You can continue this amazing momentum by refusing to buy halloween candy from the big companies that have unethical practices.
While things are getting better there is still a long ways to go before the big companies like Nestlé, Hershey, Lindt, Mars, etc., can declare themselves innocent of wrongdoings against children in developing countries. Stop the Traffik, an international movement to end human trafficking, wrote a fantastic report outlining the what 6 of the largest chocolate companies are doing to end human trafficking in their companies and what they still need to do. You can check out the highlights here to understand exactly where each company stands.
There are so many alternatives to buying unethical chocolate. My kids love getting the tiny bags of Goldfish crackers, chips, Chips Ahoy cookies or mini granola bars. Non-chocolate candy like Twizzlers, Mike & Ike, Maynards and Nibs, gum or potato chips are an option. I haven’t exhaustively researched all the ethics of these companies so I hope you will help educate me if you find something I missed!
And then there is the fantastic option of shelling out alternative “treats” that are fun and come with no ethical or health concerns. Parenting win! We’ve brainstormed a list of 7 affordable, healthy and ethical options.
Don’t get me wrong. Your choices at Halloween are a small start. But the point here is that we need to start somewhere. Take a step towards ending human trafficking. Don’t let your child’s Halloween fun contribute to some other child’s nightmare. Have fun and make the world a better place!
Meghan is the Director at Generations Midwifery Care. Heard about the Baby Boxes? Interested in getting one? Meghan explains how here.