Resources

Cocoa farmers face a huge number of challenges, but one lies at the root of many of them: most farmers’ incomes are simply too low. Estimates before the price of cocoa crashed between September 2016 and February 2017 suggested that the price cocoa farmers receive represents less than seven percent of the value of cocoa sold in Europe.

In late 2016, at the request of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) and two of its major private sector members, Verité researchers undertook rapid appraisal research to explore the nature of forced labour risk in the cocoa sector in Côte d’Ivoire.

Research on forced labour has focused almost entirely on the big brand businesses at the top of the supply chain. The worksites that deploy and manage forced labour usually involve smaller and more informal business actors. They receive much less attention.

The Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2017/18 was conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service in partnership with government bodies, such as the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Education Service, and with technical support from the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The international community has made clear that the persistence of child labour in today’s world is unacceptable and, in the Sustainable Development Goals, has renewed its commitment to eliminating all forms of child labour by 2025. This report by the International Labor Organisation (ILO) aims to contribute to such efforts by offering an analysis of trends and an evidence-based discussion of policy solutions.