Child Labor and the Production of Cocoa

By Rebecca Kamas on 07/16/2010 @ 03:45 PM

“As a nation and as members of the global community, we reject the proposition that it is acceptable to pursue economic gain through the forced labor of other human beings or the exploitation of children in the workplace.” - Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, May 3, 2010

The use of child labor in the production of cocoa is widespread, and the fact that many of these children working in Ghana or Cote d’Ivoire are also victims of human trafficking or slavery makes this issue even more critical. West Africa collectively supplies nearly 80% of the world's cocoa, and Côte d'Ivoire alone supplies 46%; something to think about next time you eat a chocolate bar.

A widely-respected report from Tulane University estimates that during the 2008-2009 growing season there were approximately 820,000 children working on cocoa farms in Cote d’Ivoire and 997,000 in Ghana. More than half of these children have reported an injury while working in agricultural activities, and many more are repeatedly exposed to dangerous conditions.

In 2001, Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Eliot Engel, working with the cocoa and chocolate industry, created the "Protocol for the growing and processing of cocoa beans and their derivative products in a manner that complies with ILO Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor” (also known as the “Harkin-Engel” or “Cocoa” Protocol). It was originally signed in September 2001, committing the industry to addressing the "worst forms of child labor" on cocoa farms in West Africa. The Protocol brings together industry, West African governments, organized labor, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), farmer groups and experts to raise labor standards and end child labor in the cocoa fields.

Earlier this week, No Limits Vice President for Policy Leecia Eve attended a meeting at the U.S. Department of Labor led by Sandra Polaski, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs. A comprehensive discussion took place among representatives from the Department of Labor, Congress, academia, labor unions, non-governmental organizations, industry, and the International Labor Organization, among others, about creating new, and accelerating ongoing, efforts to combat the worst forms of child labor in the West African cocoa sector.

Issues discussed ranged from the need to improve data collection and child labor monitoring systems to the need for the development and implementation of laws and policies, as well as improved enforcement. Leecia, who reported to the full body on behalf of the law/policies/enforcement discussion group, talked about the challenges and capacity issues that Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire face in bringing the worst forms of child labor to an end but also reported on the group’s recommendations about the best way to move forward, including the need to give greater voice to those most affected – the children.

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