The human cost of chocolate

Seven years after the industry agreed to abolish child labor, little progress has been made. Seventy percent of the world's cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, where working and living conditions are brutal and many workers are underage.

By Christian Parenti. Photographs by Jessica Dimmock

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A Hershey's store in New York City's Times Square. Hershey, like many other chocolate makers, gets some of its beans from Ivory Coast and has signed a pledge to wean itself from child labor.

Last updated February 15 2008: 9:52 AM ET

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The human cost of chocolate

Seven years after the industry agreed to abolish child labor, little progress has been made. Seventy percent of the world's cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, where working and living conditions are brutal and many workers are underage.