SOURCE: RAW STORY
Nestlé and other counties that sell chocolate from Africa can be sued for using child slave labor, a federal appeals court ruled.
Three former slave laborers sued the food manufacturer, along with Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, under a 1789 law allowing lawsuits in U.S. courts for violations of international human rights.
Instead, the court found, the domestic chocolate industry successfully lobbied Congress to defeat a bill in 2001 that would have required all U.S. importers and manufacturers to certify that their products were “slave free.”
The three companies “effectively control the production of Ivorian cocoa” due to their financial and technical assistance, the court found.
Three former slave laborers sued the food manufacturer, along with Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill, under a 1789 law allowing lawsuits in U.S. courts for violations of international human rights.
Instead, the court found, the domestic chocolate industry successfully lobbied Congress to defeat a bill in 2001 that would have required all U.S. importers and manufacturers to certify that their products were “slave free.”
The three companies “effectively control the production of Ivorian cocoa” due to their financial and technical assistance, the court found.
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