Resources

In September 2025, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) of the U.S. Department of Labour published its 2024 annual report on the findings on the worst forms of child labour , which assesses progress made in the global fight against child labour. The summary below covers some of the key efforts, gaps and recommendations noted in the ILAB report for the following cocoa-producing countries: Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ghana, Liberia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

CUBIC collaborated with Save the Children Côte d’Ivoire to develop an intervention aimed at reducing hazardous child labor on cocoa farms and increasing school attendance. Using behavioral science to guide the process, we developed and tested the “village social contract” model in ten villages in the Man department. It was found that this approach was successful in reducing hazardous child labor and injuries on cocoa farms. The findings emphasize the effectiveness of behavioral science in addressing child labor issues and show how community accountability can enable safer environments for

Every year, ICI members report on their efforts to tackle child labour in the cocoa sector. This allows us to track progress over time, highlight areas for improvement and drive transparency in the sector. The results presented here are from the reporting season October 2023 – September 2024, and cover activities in four countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroun and Nigeria).

ICI conducted a field survey in cocoa-farming communities in Ghana to gain a better understanding of pesticide use and the involvement and exposure of children in these communities.

This summary provides an overview of key trends outlined in the ILO and UNICEF report Child Labour Global Estimates 2024.