Think before you bite into that piece of chocolate

[po18guy]

“Child labor” is a historic fact of human life. We have developed laws which force change - even where it is neither needed nor wanted. The exploitation of children (or adults) is never good - but neither is banning everything outright.

So, we boycot chocolate from Ghana. Instead of havng very little, the citizens will have nothing.

Does not sound compassionate to me.

 

[graciew]

So, we boycot chocolate from Ghana. Instead of havng very little, the citizens will have nothing.

They still will. But looking for adults to work. The owners of those brands will replace the children quickly. And will probably have to pay a few cents more. That would be all for them. But for the children, it means somebody is watching…and cares.And that is fundamental for the protection of children.
Imo

 

[Theo520]

They still will. But looking for adults to work. The owners of those brands will replace the children quickly. And will probably have to pay a few cents more. That would be all for them. But for the children, it means somebody is watching…and cares.And that is fundamental for the protection of children.
Imo

The buyers can influence but they don’t control whose working in the fields of the small farmers. Also the child labor is already illegal in those countries, it may be ignored for very good reasons (the kids need to eat too)

 

[graciew]

I know, Theo and you may be right.
But I used to know the kids in the streets here who worked. We were a network of people who cared and often knew them by name. And relentlessly pressuring the authorities, then working with those persons whom authorities sent ,and then getting to know some of the parents, and offering assistance at different levels, food, help after school, elements for their parents to sell and ( clothes) so they could make a better living… well, it improved. They are children, just like yours or mine.
So basically, what I am trying to say, is that when there is a will and people get together against one of these evils, I don t know how but Jesus lends a hand…
The money is there, the food is there, the is corruption but not always scarcity.
One never knows but networks start to work.
I know it’s difficult, and seems to surpass us somehow, but nothing is impossible with God, prayer and lending hands. And such a reaction to help by stopping to contribute to child labour, may in turn mobilize and encourage those good networks to take their places and help out as well.
Maybe I am just a fighter, Theo…thanks as usual for your (name removed by moderator)ut from a different perspective. You can always be right.
In any case it needs to be thought out in situ ,start local, specifically, and with (name removed by moderator)ut from people from different arenas .

 

[Theo520]

I know, Theo and you may be right.
But I used to know the kids in the streets here who worked. We were a network of people who cared and often knew them by name. And relentlessly pressuring the authorities, then working with those persons whom authorities sent ,and then getting to know some of the parents, and offering assistance at different levels, food, help after school, elements for their parents to sell and ( clothes) so they could make a better living… well, it improved. They are children, just like yours or mine.

You are describing subsidiarity in action (my hat’s off to you!)

these evils, I don t know how but Jesus lends a hand…
The money is there, the food is there, the is corruption but not always scarcity.
One never knows but networks start to work.

For foreign countries the pressure or help levers are very different. I don’t know how we get their neighboring populace to care and start acting with subsidiarity, as you did to help the youths in your neighborhood.

 

[graciew]

Well, it is a chain. A chain of reliable,and honest pieces . There is always the friend, and the friend of a friend, and the friend of a friend of a friend,all people who care , and get involved proactively and positively,and then somehow you also get to that authority high up there in charge.A bonus .So that there is real effective and assertive change. Every person counts, every hand is useful, every little bit of something adds. And all of a sudden, it has happened. Times of wonder and many little miracles.Unforgettable.And it will go on and on. And starting over and over when there is a need.
Hope.

 

[jeannetherese]

I looked over the guide. All of the corporations disallowed child labor. Companies which anticipated 100 percent child labor free by 2020 received lower ratings than some which did not. Companies with higher degrees of child labor scored higher than companies with lower degrees. I tend to support Ferrerro Rocher, a company founded by a Catholic who was determined to incorporate Catholic principles in his treatment of employees. I am unsure why they would score higher in many aspects than some of the other companies and yet be given a lower score by this evaluating group and this leads me to question the credibility of their evaluation.
https://www.ferrero.com/

https://www.ferrerocsr.com/for-the-emerging-countries

https://www.ferrerocsr.com/former-employees-initiatives

 

[Divine3]

There are an immense amount of Catholic missions that get directly to where the action is and your money doesn’t go through agencies but to those in need. Just ask any missionary or lay missionary who takes a plane and heads off to the missions. May we keep our minds in heaven, our eyes on the cross and our feet on the ground.

 

[Kathleen18]

As a millennial I am very lucky NOT to be saddled with debt as an adult. But yes, I am still concerned for the future.