介绍:
100 万童工，被压榨的童年：巧克力产业苦涩的黑幕
今日导读
醇香细腻，入口即化，甜中带一丝苦……巧克力这种食物似乎有魔力， 不论男女老少，都对它爱不释手。据统计，全球每年都要消耗几百万公吨巧克力。然而你可能不知道，香甜可口的巧克力背后隐藏着一条黑暗的产业链。在非洲的可可农场，数百万名儿童每天重复着危险繁重的劳作，支撑起庞大的巧克力产业链的底层。在法律明文禁止童工的 21 世纪，巧克力产业中的童工现象为何屡禁不止？
如何理解 slam 在文中的意思？
哪两个国家是世界上最大的可可生产国？ 文中提到了哪些解决童工问题的方法？
正文
Chocolate industry slammed for failure to crack down on child labour
巧克力产业因未能打击童工现象而遭抨击
Nearly 20 years after the world's major chocolate manufacturers pledged to abolish employment abuses, hazardous child labour remains rife in their supply chains, a new study finds.
一项新研究发现，（尽管）世界主要巧克力制造商在将近20年前就承诺禁止虐待员工的行为，但是危险的童工劳作仍然充斥于它们的供应链中。
Research from the University of Chicago finds that more than two-fifths (43%) of all children aged between five and 17 in cocoa-growing regions of Ghana and Ivory Coast — the world's largest cocoa producers — are engaged in hazardous work.
芝加哥大学的这项研究发现，在全球最大的可可生产国加纳和科特迪瓦的可可种植区，超过五分之二（43%）的 5 岁至 17 岁儿童从事危险工作。
The findings raise difficult questions for industry in particular. Back in 2001, big brands such as Nestlé, Mars and Hershey signed a cross-sector accord aimed at eliminating egregious child labour. Despite missing deadlines to deliver on their pledge in 2005, 2008 and 2010, they continue to insist that ending the illegal practice remains their top concern.
研究结果尤其指出了巧克力产业的一些顽疾。早在 2001 年，雀巢、玛氏和好时等大品牌就签署了一项跨领域协议，旨在消除触目惊心的童工现象。尽管他们在 2005 年、2008 年和 2010 年都没能按时兑现承诺，但他们仍然坚持说，消除非法雇佣童工现象一直是他们最关注的的问题。
In response to the scathing report, US chocolate giant Mars reiterated that child labour has no place in cocoa production and said it had committed $1bn to help "fix a broken supply chain". Campaign groups dismiss such comments as a duplicitous smokescreen. Indeed, a lawsuit stating that international chocolate manufacturers knowingly profit from abuses against children is currently being heard in the US supreme court.
为了回应这份措辞尖锐的报告，美国巧克力巨头玛氏重申，童工在可可的生产中没有立足之地，并表示公司已承诺拿出 10 亿美元，用来帮助“修复败坏的供应链”。社会运动组织对此不屑一顾，认为这番言论是两面派的“烟雾弹”。实际上，美国最高法院目前正在审理一起诉讼，指控国际巧克力制造商故意从虐待儿童中获利。
Charity Ryerson, founder of US campaign group Corporate Accountability Lab, echoes a widespread feeling that the chocolate industry is guilty of "mind-boggling hypocrisy". If it wished to, it could end child labour tomorrow, she said.
美国社会活动组织企业问责实验室的创始人 Charity Ryerson 赞同一种普遍的看法，即巧克力行业犯有“令人难以置信的虚伪”。她说，“如果巧克力行业真的想要，明天就可以消除童工现象”。
Louisa Cox, impact director at the Fairtrade Foundation, concedes that more help is needed to tackle practical problems if child labour is finally to become a thing of the past. Her list includes the provision of long-term finance, training and technical services, as well as helping farmers diversify beyondcocoa.
公平贸易基金的社会影响力负责人 Louisa Cox 承认，如果童工问题最终要成为过去的话，那么解决实际问题需要更多的帮助。她提出的解决方法包括提供长期融资、培训和技术服务，以及帮助农民培育可可以外的作物、实现多样化。
