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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 10:25 pm
Time: 10:25 pm
Results for child labor (ivory coast)
1 results foundAuthor: KidsRights Title: Not So Sweet: Hazardous Child Labour, with a focus on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast Summary: An estimated 115 million children from 5 to 17 years old work in hazardous conditions across the world. Hazardous child labour is classified by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as one of the worst forms of child labour. The ILO describes it as "work in dangerous or unhealthy conditions that could result in a child being killed, or injured and/or made ill as a consequence of poor safety and health standards and working arrangements". The ILO estimates that some 22,000 children are killed at work every year. Those who survive can develop health problems later in life due to poor working conditions while their bodies and minds are still growing and developing. They also suffer from the lack of an education, as few manage to attend school when working long hours in harsh conditions. The ILO has set the minimum age for hazardous work at 18, a convention which has been ratified by 166 member countries, including Ivory Coast. Since the cocoa bean was first introduced to Ivory Coast in the late 19th century, it has played a crucial role in the country's economy. Ivory Coast now accounts for 35% of the world's cocoa production. Around 900,000 farmers grow the bean, and 3.5 million people depend on it for their livelihoods. The most recent data shows that an estimated 819,921 children worked in the 2008/2009 harvest season. Most cocoa farms are small, family-run operations which struggle to survive on tiny, unstable proceeds. Only 3% of the final retail price reaches the cocoa producers, and global prices are volatile. "Cocoa farming is very labour intensive," reports the Cocoa Initiative, "and producers face strong pressures to keep labour costs down. At peak times all family members, including children, are involved". Fairtrade certification of chocolate helps to ensure a fair price for farmers, but less than 10% of the world's chocolate so far meets the standard. In Ivory Coast, certification schemes are not applied industry-wide, and should be given priority by the government. Agriculture is identified as one of the three most hazardous sectors worldwide; the ILO deems it too dangerous for workers under the age of 18. Heavy agricultural work puts children at risk of lifelong disability; machinery at risk of injury; toxic substances at risk of poisoning. Still, 59% of the world’s child labourers work in agriculture; that's 98 million children. In 2012 the government of Ivory Coast adopted the National Action Plan Against Trafficking, Exploitation and Child Labour (2012-2014). Around 3,364 children - mostly boys - have been trafficked from neighbouring countries and forced into hazardous labour in the cocoa plantations. But the majority of children working in the cocoa industry are working informally with their own families, making intervention difficult. It remains a challenge to reduce the number of children working under hazardous conditions in the cocoa sector. The number of children working in the cocoa sector in Ivory Coast remains high and current and accurate date are not available. More data is urgently needed if hazardous child labour in Ivory Coast is to be properly addressed. Good quality, accessible education is vital in the fight against child labour. Schooling in Ivory Coast is not compulsory, and fees make it impossible for many, as well as patchy provision, along with the seasonal nature of work on the cocoa plantations. The government needs to make education compulsory, and freely accessible to all children. Globally, the effort needs to be continued to ensure that all children attend school until the minimum age for work. Economic opportunities for families need to be enhanced, and awareness raised in farming communities about the safety risks and health consequences for children working in the sector. Details: Amsterdam, NETH: KidsRights Foundation, 2014. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2014 at: http://www.kidsrights.org/Portals/1/About%20us/KidsRights%20Report-Not%20So%20Sweet-digitaal%20-website.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Africa URL: http://www.kidsrights.org/Portals/1/About%20us/KidsRights%20Report-Not%20So%20Sweet-digitaal%20-website.pdf Shelf Number: 133081 Keywords: Child Labor (Ivory Coast)Child Protectionchild Trafficking |