Ivorian Cocoa Embargo Likely if Nestle, ADM and Cargill Child Slavery Case Goes Through According to Judge
The original case was from July 2005 from three former trafficked Mali children in the 1990s that were forced to work as slaves on a Cote D’Ivoire chocolate farm. They were identified as John Doe I, II, and III, and they describe their horrific experiences on those farms.
From Confectionery News: “The parties dispute whether corporations can be responsible for aiding and abetting crimes outside the US under the Alien Tort Statue.” This statute was adopted in 1789 giving federal courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits filed by non-U.S. citizens – for torts committed in violation of international law (definition from Center for Justice and Accountability).
U.S. chocolate manufacturers would forgo buying cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire if a case against three major cocoa processors succeeds, warns a dissenting judge.
