Child Labour in the Ivory Coast
Around 40% of the world’s chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast in Africa. The majority of these farms use child labourers – many are under 14 years old.
Dangers…
These children are constantly exposed to dangers of machetes and hazardous chemicals. Children are required to climb into trees and harvest the cocoa beans from pods using a machete and frequently at risk of cutting their arms, hands and legs. Children from 12 years are also exposed to hazardous chemicals when they are required to spray pesticides onto the cocoa plants without being provided with safety equipment.
How did they get there…
These children usually end up in cocoa farms when they can’t afford to go to school, are sold by their families to traffickers or the farmers or are abducted from neighbouring countries (e.g. Burkina Faso, Mali).
Once they get there…
Farmers often feed the children the cheapest food sources available (such as corn paste and bananas), they are often forced to sleep on wooden boards and don’t have access to clean water or sanitary bathrooms. It is common for them to be deprived of education while they are in labour (this is a violation of the International Labour Organisation child labour standards) and this can result in cycle of poverty recurring.
How are we stopping this…
Fair trade auditors are monitoring about 800 000 family farms – but this is not a 100% guarantee that there are not children working on the farm however it is having a positive impact. Also under continuing pressure the chocolate industry signed an agreement to cut the number of children working in dangerous conditions by 70% by 2020 but similar contracts have been signed in the past and the deadlines have been extended because the guide lines have not been met.
Dangers…
These children are constantly exposed to dangers of machetes and hazardous chemicals. Children are required to climb into trees and harvest the cocoa beans from pods using a machete and frequently at risk of cutting their arms, hands and legs. Children from 12 years are also exposed to hazardous chemicals when they are required to spray pesticides onto the cocoa plants without being provided with safety equipment.
How did they get there…
These children usually end up in cocoa farms when they can’t afford to go to school, are sold by their families to traffickers or the farmers or are abducted from neighbouring countries (e.g. Burkina Faso, Mali).
Once they get there…
Farmers often feed the children the cheapest food sources available (such as corn paste and bananas), they are often forced to sleep on wooden boards and don’t have access to clean water or sanitary bathrooms. It is common for them to be deprived of education while they are in labour (this is a violation of the International Labour Organisation child labour standards) and this can result in cycle of poverty recurring.
How are we stopping this…
Fair trade auditors are monitoring about 800 000 family farms – but this is not a 100% guarantee that there are not children working on the farm however it is having a positive impact. Also under continuing pressure the chocolate industry signed an agreement to cut the number of children working in dangerous conditions by 70% by 2020 but similar contracts have been signed in the past and the deadlines have been extended because the guide lines have not been met.