BCCCA POSITION ON COCOA SURVEY
July 2002
The BCCCA welcomes the study into child labour in the cocoa sector in West Africa carried out by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and national research coordinators in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria.
The research was carried out with support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of Labor (USDOL), the global chocolate industry, the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), and West African governments.
As one of the sponsors of the independent survey, the first of its kind and scale, the global chocolate and cocoa industry is firmly committed to acting on its results and focusing efforts on eliminating the hazards to children in the growing and processing of cocoa.
The report highlights a number of issues of concern to the industry, such as the potentially hazardous conditions for children and their families on cocoa farms in West Africa - where children in rural areas have traditionally worked in agriculture as part of the family unit. The findings included:
- In Cote d’Ivoire, 87 per cent of the permanent labour used in cocoa farming comes from the family.
- Children work in a variety of activities in cocoa farming such as clearing fields, weeding, maintaining cocoa trees, applying pesticides, fermenting, transporting, drying and other tasks. Hazardous tasks include spraying of pesticides, use of machetes and carrying heavy loads.
- Children that work are less likely to be enrolled or attending school.
- Some children working in cocoa farms have no family ties to the farmers.
- In West Africa, most of the cocoa production is in the hands of small-scale farmers with little resources that often use their entire family to contribute to cocoa farming.
A further issue the industry is seeking to address is the report’s finding that up to 2,500 child workers were recruited through intermediaries for cocoa farming in Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
The industry is working with governments and independent and expert organisations, notably the ILO, to test out possible solutions to counter child exploitation in the growing of cocoa in West Africa. These programmes comprise:
- “3 Rs” (rescue, removal and rehabilitation) programmes for children at risk
- awareness raising to educate farmers on the law and appropriate working practices
- reinforcing legal institutions and structures to protect child victims;
- building capacity in inspection, enforcement and intervention; and
- improving conditions within local communities.
The chocolate and cocoa industry has a long history of project investment in West Africa including on sustainable development, pest management, quality management and cooperative development, both directly and through international organisations. The survey results will give new focus to this work.
Bob Eagle, the BCCCA’s spokesman, said:
“This study - the first of its kind - confirms the need to address the safety of children on cocoa farms and the economic wellbeing of cocoa farming families, and supports the action we are already taking.
“The findings show us where we need to focus our efforts through the pilot programmes we are developing with partners to ensure that cocoa is grown safely, responsibly and in a way that does not place children at risk.”
The chocolate and cocoa industry already works with farmers to educate them on safe growing practices. There is more to be done, however, particularly in the area of hazardous work conditions and our efforts will be expanded through work with the industry’s partners, government agencies, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other organisations to develop best practice through effective pilot programmes. They will be introduced in cocoa growing countries in West Africa in September, in time for the next cocoa harvest.
“While the amount of information contained in the survey is considerable,” added Mr Eagle, “there can be only one conclusion: we must - and will - do everything we can to ensure that children are not harmed in the growing of cocoa. The cocoa industry shares with its partners an unwavering commitment to eradicate unacceptable practices from the cocoa fields.”
Further information on the survey is available at
www.iita.org.
