The same high-quality sugar that Coca-Cola procures at low cost to give its products their characteristic sweetness is known to be the product of child labour in El Salvador . Other examples of ethical violations include incidents in connection with the efforts of union leaders in Colombia fighting for the rights of labourers at Coca-Cola's main Latin American bottler. Reportedly, Coca-Cola hired mercenaries who actually murdered those union leaders. Likewise, other union activists were fired for attending union meetings and some of their family members were kidnapped and tortured in 2005. In Turkey, fourteen Coca-Cola truck drivers and their families were tortured and beaten while protesting the layoff of 1,000 workers from a local Coca-Cola bottling plant. In Mexico in 2000, a senior bottling manager was sacked and sued for being gay.

Unfortunately,...

As consumers, we have a moral obligation to pressure such organisations by demanding that they adhere to the very policies and values that they promote publicly. In fact, Coca-Cola should not be permitted to profit by producing a product based on its sweet taste when its corporate policies are responsible for leaving such a sour taste of human exploitation and rights violations in the communities where it does business. Ethically responsible consumers have a moral obligation to boycott Coca-Cola products unless and until the company reforms its corporate policies appropriately.
Justin Healey, Human Rights Thirroul N.S.W. Spinner Press.2005,page 4,

1 www.cocacolasabco.com)

http://www.globalexchange.org/getinvolved www.allaboutwater.org/tap-water.htm ibid www.buzzle.com/articles/el-salvador-marketplace-children.htm