Stop Child Labor Cocoa Campaign
Cocoa Campaign
People around the world share a love of chocolate, one of the most delicious and pleasurable foods on earth. Thousands of children in West Africa are forced to labor in the production of cocoa, chocolate’s primary ingredient. The West African nation of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is the leading supplier of cocoa, accounting for more than 40% of global production. Low cocoa prices and thus the need for lower labor costs drive farmers to employ children as a means to survive. The US Department of State estimates that more than 109,000 children in Cote d’Ivoire’s cocoa industry work under “the worst forms of child labor,” and that some 10,000 are victims of human trafficking or enslavement.
These child workers labor for long, punishing hours, using dangerous tools and facing frequent exposure to dangerous pesticides as they travel great distances in the grueling heat. Those who labor as slaves must also suffer frequent beatings and other cruel treatment. Cote d’Ivoire’s child laborers are robbed not only of their freedom but of the right to a basic education. In a country where more than half the population is illiterate, basic education of “cocoa children” takes on an even more critical significance for Cote d’Ivoire’s future. Increased access to education must be a key component in any effective strategy to reduce poverty and exploitative child labor.
In 2001, in an attempt to avoid government regulation and intense media scrutiny, major cocoa companies made a voluntary commitment (the Cocoa Industry Protocol) to certify their cocoa “child labor-free” by July 2005, but that deadline passed with little fanfare. The deadline was then extended to certify 50% of farms “child-labor free” by July 2008. The cocoa companies trumpeted a few pilot programs, but continue to purchase and reap profits from child labor cocoa. The major cocoa importers need to use their vast influence on the cocoa market to bring about the kind of systemic changes necessary to eliminate child slavery once and for all.
The International Labor Rights Forum is committed to combating the scourge of forced child labor in the cocoa industry through public education and corporate campaigns.
Le monde entier adore le chocolat, l'un des aliments les plus délicieux et les plus délectables sur terre. Des milliers d'enfants en Afrique de l'Ouest sont contraints de travailler pour produire le cacao, son principal ingrédient. La Côte d’Ivoire, qui fournit plus de 40% du cacao mondial, est le premier producteur de cacao en Afrique de l'ouest. Le faible prix du cacao, qui entraine une réduction maximale du coût de production, force les cultivateurs à employer des enfants afin de s'assurer un revenu. Selon les estimations du ministère américain des affaires étrangères, plus de 109,000 enfants dans l'industrie cacaoyère en Côte d'ivoire subissent les pires formes de travail des enfants. De plus, environ 10.000 sont victimes du trafic humain ou d'esclavage.
Ces enfants travaillent pendant de longues et pénibles heures, employant des outils dangereux, à la merci de pesticides toxiques, tout en couvrant de longues distances sous une chaleur accablante. Ceux qui sont employés comme esclaves endurent de sévères bastonnades et d'autres traitements cruels. Ces enfants sont non seulement privés de leur liberté mais aussi de leur droit à une éducation de base. Dans un pays où plus de la moitié de la population est analphabète, l'éducation de ces enfants est d'autant plus cruciale pour l'avenir de la côte d'ivoire. Favoriser l'accès à l'éducation est un élément clé à l'efficacité de tout programme de lutte contre la pauvreté et l'exploitation des enfants par le travail forcé.
En 2001, pour échapper au contrôle gouvernemental et aux pressions médiatiques, des géants de l'industrie cacaoyère, ( Protocol de l'industrie cacaoyère) s’engagèrent à certifier leur cacao exempt de travail des enfants, avant Juillet 2005, mais ce délai passa sans aucune intervention de leur part. Le délai fut ensuite prolongé afin que 50% des plantations soient attestées exempts de travail en juillet 2008 au plus tard. Les entreprises cacaoyères ont vanté quelques programmes pilotes mais continuent d'acheter et de tirer des bénéfices du cacao produit par ces enfants. Les plus puissants importateurs de cacao se doivent d'utiliser leur grande influence sur le marché du cacao pour induire les réformes systémiques nécessaires à l'élimination définitive du travail des enfants. Le forum international pour les droits des travailleurs est dévoué à l'endiguement de ce fléau par une sensibilisation publique et des campagnes visant les entreprises.
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Nestle, Mars & Hershey: Stop Child Labor!
Despite widespread concern about child and trafficked labor in the cocoa industry in West Africa since 2001, these abusive labor practices continue. Tell Hershey, M&M/Mars and Nestle that enough is enough and we want real answers now!
Send a letter to Nestlé
Demand that Nestlé stop producing chocolate with child labor!
Child Labor Poster Series
Order educational child labor posters for a classroom, congregation, or community space. These posters are full of bright colors and clear action steps that can be taken to end child labor.
Video
Check out this PSA to find out more about child labor in the chocolate industry.
Publications and Resources
- S'mores Action: Color-In Petition to Hershey
- S'mores Action: Petition to Hershey
- S'mores Action: Sign for Hershey Photo
- Response to Rainforest Alliance Regarding Labor Standards
- 2009 Chocolate Company Scorecard
About the Photo
Credit: Unknown Photographer
Valentine's Day: No Bitter Chocolate!
Child labor continues on cocoa farms in West Africa. Before buying Valentine's Day chocolate, check out ILRF's new chocolate company scorecard and our e-mail action to the bitter chocolate companies!
Cocoa Company Scorecard
The problem of trafficked child labor in cocoa harvesting surfaced in 2001 and consumers have been demanding reform since that time. The chocolate companies have all made lofty promises, but how many have delivered?
Cocoa Industry Fails to Stop Child Labor
Major chocolate companies have failed to deliver on their July 1, 2008 child labor commitments. ILRF just released a new analysis of the industry's failures. Check out the press release.