Most children who work on cocoa farms do so within their family structure with responsible, caring parents.  Nevertheless, the conditions under which they work like agricultural work the world over are often hazardous.  

Most of these families are poor, often with little or no education, and their cocoa crop is the main source of income.  Children can be exposed to hazards unwittingly or through a lack of awareness -- as their parents were when they were children. While there is a strong and positive culture of involving older children in work which helps prepare them for adulthood, others are exploited either because they are very young, are asked to work beyond their capability or are exposed to specific hazards such as chemical spraying. Worse still at peak times children may be kept out of school to help on the farm often leading to low achievement or leaving school altogether.

ICI is working with cocoa-growing communities locally to encourage them to think through the issues and develop their own solutions.  By helping farmers and families understand the risks of certain activities, and the illegality of others, we are beginning to change the way cocoa is grown.

Addressing the underlying causes of child and forced labour is central to the ICI approach.  Child and forced labour is often difficult to detect, obscured by accepted social practices and, in the worst cases, deliberately concealed by those breaking the law.

75% of the world’s cocoa is grown on small family farms in West Africa.  That’s over 2 million smallholder farm families.  Because cocoa farms are generally small and unmechanised, often the whole family works together – particularly during harvest.  Typically, these communities are poor, sometimes without access to roads, schools, running water or even the most rudimentary health care.  In Ghana, gross national income per capita is US$450 per year while it rises to US$870 in the Ivory Coast.  That’s US$1.23 a day in Ghana and US$ 2.38 in Ivory Coast.  (UK: US$37,400, US: US$43,560, Switzerland:  US$55,320) (source: World Bank)

Changing these ingrained traditions will not happen overnight.  Ending abusive labour practices requires a long-term commitment by all those involved in cocoa – from the farmer through to the chocolate maker.

From its inception, ICI has envisioned a different model.  Rather than creating bubbles of good practice operating in isolation from the larger social, economic and political complexities, ICI has created a new model.  Our philosophy is simple -- by designing and supporting initiatives built and led at the community level -- communities decide how they can best change to meet their needs and external expectations.  Our research and work to date demonstrates this embeds change more effectively throughout the community and means it is more likely to last. However, intervening at the community level alone is not enough.

As such, ICI works to build awareness and create local capacity to support community level change. We work with national governments and international agencies to ensure a positive policy and development environment. We work with industry to help them better understand the issues and challenges and change their business practices.  Lastly, we aim to contribute to an informed international debate. 

At ICI, we are in the early stages of building this long-term strategy for change. Early results look promising and we are committed to continue for the long term.