Maggie Wan

Andre Tamse

Jessica Siasoco

Shawn Kim

Child Cocoa Labor

Defining Child Labor

        Child labor is essentially a violation of fundamental human rights because it

hinders a child’s developmental growth, which can result to long-term physical and/or

psychological damage (“International Labour Standards,” n.d.). According to The

International Labor Organization (n.d.), around 215 million children between the ages of

5 and 17 are placed in illegal, hazardous, or extremely exploitative environments to work.

These children are sent to work in “commercial agriculture, fishing, manufacturing,

mining, and domestic service” (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011b). The worst forms of child

labor are prevalent in the agriculture sector, which comprises activities such as hunting,

forestry, and fishing. In a 2012-2013 global data representation, the percentage of

children aged 5-17 years old working in agriculture is a massive 58.6% (“What is child

labour,” n.d.). Some of these children end up being involved in illicit activities such as

drug trade, prostitution, and serving as soldiers in wars/battles as well (Clark-Bennett et.

al, 2011b). Children participating in these high physically and mentally demanding work

environments ultimately deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their

dignity.

Child labor involves at least one of the following characteristics: it violates a

nation’s minimum age laws; it threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-

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being; it involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage,

forced labor, or illicit activities; it prevents children from going to school; and it uses

children to undermine labor standards (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011b.). In its most extreme

forms, child labor involves children being enslaved, exposed to serious hazards and

illnesses, separation from families, and/or neglected to provide for themselves (“What is

child labour,” n.d.). These children are often forced into the low-skilled labor, where they

are placed into hazardous conditions and face threat to their physical and mental health.

The term depends on the child’s age, the number of hours worked, the wage for the work,

the working conditions, and the motives pursued by individual countries.

Although every country has different labor laws, there are international labor

standards on child labor. The Minimum Age Convention sets the general minimum age

requirement for employment at “15 years (13 for light work) and the minimum age for

hazardous work at 18 (16 under certain strict conditions)” (“International Labour

Standards,” n.d.). The International Labour Organization (n.d.) has the Worst Forms of

Child Labour Convention as well, which defines a “child” as a person under 18 years old.

This fundamental convention ultimately requires “ratifying states to eliminate the worst

forms of child labour, including all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, [...]

recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, [...] child prostitution, [...] and children

for illicit activities” (“International Labour Standards,” n.d.). This fundamental also

requires states to provide access to free basic education, direct assistance for removing

children from worst forms of child labor, and appropriate rehabilitation for children in

need of it (“International Labour Standards,” n.d.).

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Eliminating child labor is a matter of building a nation’s future. It is crucial to

provide children with an appropriate uprising that involves the necessary care, nurture,

and tools to prepare them for a bright future. The employment and exploitation of

children in deleterious conditions are ultimately harmful to their developmental growth.

Causes of Child Labor

Although there are laws meant to protect children from child labor, child labor

continues to currently exist. Global child labor persists to exist due to “poverty, limited

access to education, repression of workers’ rights, and limited prohibitions on child

labor” (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011c). Poverty and high levels of unemployment are

ultimately the main reasons why children are sent to work to provide for their families.

According to the U.N.’s 2005 statistics, more than one-fourth of people in the world live

in extreme poverty (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011c). Developing countries in intensified

poverty such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America essentially causes and even forces many

children to work.

Even though there are laws to prevent child labor, they are often violated. For

example, it is difficult to monitor exactly who is performing the labor due to the multiple

layers of production and outsourcing in exports of products within all forms of labor

(Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011c). Laws and enforcement are insufficient as well. According

to Clark-Bennett et. al (2011c), “child labor laws around the world are often not enforced

or include exemptions that allow for child labor to persist in certain sectors, such as

agriculture or domestic work.” Even if some countries have strong labor laws, they may

have a system where “labor departments and labor inspection offices are often

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underfunded and understaffed, or courts may fail to enforce the laws” (Clark-Bennett et.

al, 2011c).

The effects of poverty in developing countries make it extremely difficult to

improve labor standards and living standards in order to eliminate child labor. The

structure of many governments in developing countries often require to decrease loans for

education, health, and other public programs. This affects everyone in the area, especially

the future of the community because children are main targets to become child laborers.

Child Labor in the Ivory Coast, West Africa

Child labor is distributed in many forms globally, but the agriculture sector is one

of the worst forms of child labor. An estimated 60% of children in agricultural labor are

exposed to “long hours in extreme temperatures, health risks from pesticides, little or no

pay, and inadequate food, water, and sanitation” (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011b). One of the

worst forms of agricultural child labor is found within sub-Saharan Africa, where 65

million (30%) child laborers live (Clark-Bennett et. al, 2011b).

The Ivory Coast in West Africa is one of the world’s leading main source of

exporting cocoa beans internationally. The Ivory Coast supplies about 43% of the world’s

cocoa to big companies, such as Hershey’s, Mars, Cadbury, and Nestle, to manufacture

their delicious chocolates (“Child Labor and Slavery,” n.d.). With such a high demand of

cocoa from companies around the world, the supply of cheap cocoa from the Ivory Coast

is highly valued. But who ultimately provides this cocoa that is packaged to sell in the

market for such a low value? In most recent years, the Ivory Coast has not only been

known for being the top provider of cocoa, but it is also known as the location for one of

the world’s worst forms of child labor.

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As the chocolate industry is rapidly growing, the need to constantly provide

companies cheap cocoa is increasing as well. Children as young as 5- 17 are being forced

and trafficked into labor at cocoa farms (“Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor,” n.d.). It

is reported that 40% of these children are girls, who are separated from families and work

on the farms through adulthood (“Child Labor and Slavery, “n.d.). These children live in

intense poverty, so they are sold or forced into working at a young age to help support

their families. Children on cocoa farms are paid less than $2 per day or no pay to work

long hours of picking cocoa bean (“Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor,” n.d.). Besides

overworking the children, the farmers fail to provide sufficient hygiene and food for them

as well (“Child Labor and Slavery,” n.d.). While they work on the farms, these children

are exposed to dangerous conditions (i.e. chemicals and heavy duty machines) where they

can ultimately harm or kill themselves (“Child Labor and Slavery,” n.d.).

As a result, these children are taken away their rights and their opportunities to

attend school to pursue a higher education. Studies report that 40% of children working

in cocoa in Ivory Coast are not enrolled in school and only about 5% of the 820,000

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children working in cocoa are paid for their work (“Child Labor and Slavery,” n.d.).

Although the legal international framework for the worst forms of child labor promotes

access to free education for children, education is not required by law in the Ivory Coast

(“Côte d'Ivoire: 2013 Findings,” n.d.). Education is essentially free in the Ivory Coast,

but many schools require parents to pay for teachers’ salaries and books, which many of

these families find difficult due to the intense poverty state of the country (“Côte d'Ivoire:

2013 Findings,” n.d.). As a result, the lack of compulsory on education requirement

heavily decreases the likelihood of children attending schools, which increases their

chances to work on cocoa farms (“Côte d'Ivoire: 2013 Findings,” n.d.). Without an

education, these children are left hopeless and find no means to leave the farm.

       Aside from the extreme poverty issue in West Africa, these children are

vulnerable, easily manipulated, and trafficked into working on cocoa farms in means to

provide for themselves and their families. Although the Ivory Coast and West African

government claim child labor is illegal and they do not promote it, hundreds of cases still

report child labor on cocoa farms. Child labor violates the child’s freedom and human

rights because a young child should not be working in the first place, especially if it is in

hazardous and unsuitable conditions, like cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast. Child labor

prevents children from going to school, exploits them to other illicit activities such as

drug trade and prostitution, and can cause lifelong psychological and physical damages

upon them.

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How does working in the cocoa industry affect these children?

Working in the cocoa industry has many negative effects on children. They are

unaware of how dangerous the work environment is on cocoa plantations. They work

long hours, typically from sunrise to the evening. In order for them to reach the bean

pods, they cut down the trees using chainsaws. Some children climb the cocoa trees with

machetes in order to get the bean pods . This is highly dangerous as machetes are heavy

knives and children have no prior training in the use of these knives. It is evident that

children suffer from severe injuries from these dangerous tools because of all the scars

they have not only on the hands and arms, but on their legs and shoulders as well. After

cutting the bean pods off of the trees, the children gather them in sacks as heavy as 100

pounds and haul them pack to the plantations (“Food Empowerment Project,” n.d.). This

type of work involves strenuous work that can lead to growth stunting. In addition to the

tasks that these children are often forced to do, if the children do not do these tasks in a

timely manner, they would get beaten.

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Not only are they exposed to dangerous knives, but they are also exposed to

dangerous chemicals that are used on the cocoa plantations. The children use these

chemicals without proper protective clothing and gear (“Food Empowerment Project,”

n.d.). They are also fed minimal with cheap corn paste and bananas. Without proper

nutrition, exposure to harmful chemicals and tools, and little to no education, these

children are at high risk of having problems physically or mentally in the future (“Food

Empowerment Project,” n.d.).

Not only do the children suffer from physical scars, but mental scars as well.

Being taken away from their families, getting severely injured, and not being given the

proper resources to live leaves some damages on a person’s mind. The children learn to

become more independent and to not trust others, leading them to become more isolated.

Even if they are no longer in slavery, the children exhibit poor social skills. They tend to

be afraid of other people, as well as show less confidence in themselves. When returned

to their families, they also have difficulties adjusting back into their family’s lifestyle

(Chanthavong, 2002).

Companies/Fair-Trade Labels

Fortunately, there are ways to still indulge in chocolate without purchasing from

brands that use child labor to manufacture chocolate. Fair Trade is a partnership that’s

based on dialogue, transparency, and respect between the company and its partners (“The

Chocolate Industry,” 2015). The most distinguishable asset of Fair Trade cocoa is that

producer organizations receive a higher price for their cocoa beans, which differs from

the norm that is typically seen in Mars Inc., Hershey Food Corp, and other companies.

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Although cheaper chocolate equals more business for those companies, it is

always better to choose healthier alternatives. The Fair Trade label is easily

distinguishable within the packaging of chocolates in which the company supplies.

Chocolate companies such as Clif Bar & Company, Cloud Nine, Dagoba Organic

Chocolate, Denman Island Chocolate, Divine Chocolate, Green and Black’s Organic, and

much more will have the logo placed on the packaging to allow consumers to

differentiate between the healthy versus unhealthy chocolate production.

Another way to tell if a chocolate was produced using child labor is through the

price. Because the Ivory Coast condones child labor as a major form of chocolate

production and violates innumerable safety precautions, the prices of chocolates will be

significantly cheaper. This is because the Fair Trade price represents the necessary

condition for the producer organizations to have the financial ability to fulfill a set criteria

of requirements and to cover the certification fees (“The Chocolate Industry,” 2015).

Several consumers are also becoming aware of the environmental conditions that go into

the manufacturing of chocolate, resulting in a higher demand for organic cocoa beans

(“The Chocolate Industry,” 2015). In summary, companies in partnership with Fair Trade

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charge a higher amount to comply with the safety regulations of producing a healthier

chocolate that does not conform to the standards of the Ivory Coast.

Why hasn’t companies like Hershey’s switched over yet?

Although Hershey’s will be switching to slavery-free chocolate by 2020, it took

them a long time to agree to the terms (Robbins, 2010). They explained that it took them

a very long time because “there is no way they can control the labor practices of their

suppliers” (Robbins, 2010). However, this seems like a poor excuse because so many

other chocolate companies were able to do so. The way the public sees it, Hershey’s and

other big companies have enough power and money to micromanage their chocolate but

are just not taking initiative to do so.

Our Mission Statement

As a group, our mission is to spread the word about child chocolate labor to our peers.

We hope to build a unified voice on protecting the children and ending child labor

exploitation in the Ivory Coast. We also plan to develop informational and educational

outreach sources to the public to raise awareness about child labor abuses.

Goals

1. Raise awareness and educate the public about the child labor exploitation in the

Ivory Coast cocoa farms.

2. Influence the public about child labor issues and how it impacts the children,

families, and the government in the Ivory Coast.

3. Advocate for improvements on the child labor laws and regulations.

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4. Strive to push current organizations to build more schools to provide education

for children

Non-formal educational programs to monitor and educate

        As mentioned above in our goals section, one of our goals that our NGO would

want to achieve from our proposal would be to offer education programs that cater the

specific needs of the children affected by child labor within the cocoa production sector.

It is estimated that about 500,000 to about 1,500,000 children currently work in the cocoa

industry; the issue of children not attending school is severe in the Ivory Coast with only

59% of boys and an abysmal 51% of girls are enrolled in schools (International Labor

Rights Forum, 2014). According to the International Labor Rights Forum, high levels of

illiteracy (43% in the Ivory Coast and 28.5% in Ghana) have cause difficulties when it

came to the farmers doing their own work; Some of these complications with a lack of

literacy could affect trading and negotiating prices/contracts of the crops they grow

(International Labor Right Forum, 2014).

On a community level, our proposal suggests building schools within regions that

have higher percentages of child laborers in cocoa farms. Non-formal school programs

would be the best option for these children, as these schools would provide a non-

discriminatory environment where they can be educated in not only formal subjects as

mathematics, reading, and writing, but also any type of skills that cater to the specific

needs of the child. In addition to their education and promoting awareness of the issue of

child labor, our school would provide access for these children to government services

such as healthcare, social welfare, and psychological counseling/advising. Our program

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would hire local professionals as well as volunteers within the community that require

some workshop training in order to assist in the academic success of these children.

Our reasoning for all these provisions to these children is because we understand

that these children not only need education to promote their development but it is

completely necessary to have public services easily accessible for them to fulfill many

essential needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) that the majority of these children have been

lacking.

Another aspect that will be implemented to our program is a process of

monitoring these children so that they do not go back into working on the cocoa fields or

at least find a compromise where these children don’t have long and intensive work

hours. Although these children are faced with the dilemma of not providing income for

their family because of the lack of work they are doing, education would be more

beneficial for these

Initially, our school system would like to start a 3-year pilot program with only a

couple of schools. If the program proves to be successful, on a national level, our

organization would lobby for more funding for the program.

Recap our on education program:

Education that provides a non-discriminatory environment and non-formal

method of teaching for these children

Multiple government services in the local and national level will provide social

services as well as monitoring systems to the communities that are heavily

affected by child labor

o social services include:

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health clinics (provide vaccinations, routine check-ups, and

nutrition advising)

cash transfers (conditional welfare program that allows children to

apply for government funded aid)

psychological counseling for children/families

o monitoring systems will track these children’s physical state, mental state,

and academic progress

Budget (in USD)

Service Quantity Price per Unit Total Price

EDUCATION FOR KIDS

Building 3 $75,000 $225,000

Desks 500 $40 $20,000

Chairs 750 $20 $15,000

Chalkboard & chalk 30 $80 $2,400

Books 550 $150 $82,000

Computers 30 $1200 $36,000

Teachers 30 $7,000/year $630,000

HEALTH CLINICS

Physicians 3 $12,000/year $108,000

(Volunteer) Nurses 20 $2,000/year $40,000

Supplies 500 $400 200,000

Basic Operating Supplies (electricity, water, etc.) N/A $75,000 75,000

PSYCH COUNSELING

Building (shared w/ Health clinic) 1 N/A N/A

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Counselors 5 $7,500 $112,500

Computers 8 $1,200 $9,600

TOTAL: $1.555,500

* The quantity of 5 is to account for the age groups of children. Tentative number

What you can do!

With the harsh conditions of the children in the Ivory Coast in tandem with the

affordability of delicious chocolate manufactured by those children, it’s difficult to shy

away from consuming the chocolate that is appealing to the popular market. However,

there are simple solutions that are feasible in the lifestyle of those living in first-world

countries.

Awareness! Once again, this is a worldwide issue that affects millions of children

and 1 million alone in the Ivory Coast. By sharing the knowledge acquired from

this project to peers, more and more people will gain understanding that children

with less opportunities are presented with a lifestyle that takes away their

childhood.

Choice: By choosing certain chocolate companies that don’t utilize child laborers

in these countries, not only do consumers choose healthier produced chocolate,

they are also not supporting the child labor enforced in the Ivory Coast.

Campaign for institutions and businesses to adopt and enforce codes of conduct

(“Ending Child Labor,” n.d.)

Pressure global companies to ensure the highest standards of transparency in their

supply chain and to ensure farmers receive a price for their cocoa that allows for a

living wage (“The Fairness Gap,” 2014).

References

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Chanthavong, S. (2002). Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor in Cote d’Ivoire. Retrieved

from http://www1.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm

Clark-Bennett, R., Hodne, C., & Sherer J. (2011a, July). International Trade Issues?

Retrieved from

http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_l

abor.html

Clark-Bennett, R., Hodne, C., & Sherer J. (2011b, July). What is Child Labor? Retrieved

from

http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_l

abor.html

Clark-Bennett, R., Hodne, C., & Sherer J. (2011c, July). Causes of Child Labor?

Retrieved from

http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_l

abor.html

Food Empowerment Project. (n.d.). Child Labor and Slavery in the Chocolate Industry.

Retrieved from http://www.foodispower.org/slavery-chocolate/

International Cocoa Initiative. (2011). Emerging good practice in combating the worst

forms of child labour in West African cocoa growing communities. Retrieved

from http://www.oecd.org/swac/publications/49069653.pdf

International Cocoa Organization. (2015, January 23). The Chocolate Industry. Retrieved

from http://www.icco.org/about-cocoa/chocolate-industry.html

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International Labour Organization. (n.d.). International Labour Standards on Child

labour. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/subjects-covered-by-

international-labour-standards/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm

International Labour Organization. (n.d.). What is child labour. Retrieved from

http://www.ilo.org/ipec/facts/lang--en/index.htm

International Labor Rights Fund. (n.d.). Cocoa and Child Labor. Retrieved from

http://ilrf.org/sites/default/files/publications-and-resources/cocoakit1_2.pdf

International Labor Rights Forum. (2014, December). The Fairness Gap: Farmer

Incomes and Root Cause Solutions to Ending Child Labor in the Cocoa Industry.

Retrieved from http://www.laborrights.org/sites/default/files/publications/Fairness

%20gap_low_res.pdf

Robbins, J. (2010, April, 10). Is There Slavery In Your Chocolate?. Retrieved from

http://johnrobbins.info/blog/is-there-slavery-in-your-chocolate/

Robson, P. (2010, December). Ending Child Trafficking in West Africa: Lessons from the

Ivorian cocoa sector. Retrieved from

http://www.antislavery.org/includes/documents/cm_docs/2015/c/cocoa_report_sm

all.pdf

TED Case Studies. (n.d). Chocolate and Slavery: Child Labor in Côte d'Ivoire. Retrieved

from http://www1.american.edu/ted/chocolate-slave.htm#r1

United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). Côte d'Ivoire: 2013 Findings on the Worst

Forms of Child Labor Significant Advancement. Retrieved from

http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/cote_divoire.htm

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United States Department of Labor. (n.d.). What are Child Labor and Forced Labor?

Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/ilab/child-forced-labor/What-are-Child-

Labor-and-Forced-Labor.htm

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