Resources

Child labour in cocoa-growing areas is caused by a complex interplay of social, economic and cultural factors. These differ greatly between households, communities and countries. As a result, measuring child labour is costly. Surveys to measure the number of children in child labour are complex to administer and require large samples.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s annual report on the Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor assesses progress made in the global fight against child labor. The 2018 report includes country specific summaries for Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, among others.

Ghana’s National Plan of Action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour phase II (2017-2021) builds on recommendations from the NPA I.

Improving access to education has long been considered an important means of combating child labour. But how important are the different elements of ‘education quality’? And which should be addressed first in order to reduce child labour? In fact, the evidence is limited. To help answer these questions, ICI conducted a study based on data from 258 cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The study explored the relationship between child labour and two elements of education quality: school infrastructure & services, and school management.

In 2018, the International Cocoa Initiative worked to support communities, reinforce supply chains, engage with national authorities and advocate internationally for cocoa that is sustainable and free of child labour. By the end of 2018, ICI’s direct action had benefited 287,762 children, and the organisation is on course to realise its target of directly assisting 375,000 children, as part of its broader goal of improving child protection for 1 million children in cocoa growing areas by 2020. ICI also launched new innovation projects in three core areas in 2018 — quality education, expansion