Save the Children Canada Calls for End to Exploitation of Children
in the Cocoa IndustryTORONTO, Feb. 8 /CNW/ - Despite commitments made by Canadian chocolate
companies and the Canadian government to clean the cocoa supply chain from the
worst forms of child labor, hundreds of thousands of children are still being
exploited in the West African cocoa farms, Save the Children Canada said
today.
"For five years, we have waited for governments and the global chocolate
industry to change child labor practices on the ground in the growing and
harvesting of cocoa. We are now calling on Canadians to sign a petition on our
web site to tell the government as Canadian consumers of chocolate that we
want to do our part in cleaning up cocoa supply chains. In addition, we need a
tracking system to clearly identify where our cocoa beans are coming from and
the conditions under which they are grown," said Anita Sheth, Senior Policy
Analyst for Save the Children Canada.
Cocoa is traded on commodity exchanges in London and New York, thousands
of kilometers from the fields where over 1 million children work in West
Africa every day to produce it. While the work enables these children to make
modest contributions to their family income, they have the right to work for a
decent wage and in conditions that are not exploitative. It is estimated that
over 312,000 children are currently working in the worst form of child labor
in these cocoa farms. "Since Canada imports cocoa beans from Côte d'Ivoire
(Ivory Coast), we believe all Canadians have an obligation to respect, protect
and fulfill these children's rights," said David Morley, President and CEO of
Save the Children Canada, who recently returned from visiting cocoa farms in
West Africa.
The multi-billion dollar chocolate industry is dependent on West African
cocoa which produces roughly 70% of the world demand. Cocoa prices have
dropped to 1/4 of their value over the last 10 years making farming families
extremely poor. To maintain their margins, farmers look for the cheapest
source of labor - and increasingly they find it in the worst forms of child
labor.
Children looking for seasonal work across West Africa are sometimes
trafficked across the borders of Mali and Burkina Faso into Côte D'Ivoire to
work on cocoa farms. Children are lured by the promise of steady work, good
wages, and even the chance to go to school. "We must start with understanding
where our cocoa in our chocolate comes from, and get choosy about whether or
not we agree with the methods used to produce it," explains David Morley. "We
are calling for greater investment in the communities where cocoa farms exist.
We want governments, chocolate manufacturers, and individuals to work with us
to fund schools, livelihood training and cocoa farm-safety monitoring to
change the options available for children and their families."
Save the Children Canada will continue to work with community groups,
youth, parents, teachers, transporters and Government officials in the region
to build schools and improve education as alternative to exploitative work,
create a network of child protection agents to help child victims, and lobby
for an end to child trafficking and exploitative child labour.
Note to Editors- Save the Children has been working in West Africa since 1985.
- Save the Children Canada is a member of the International Save the
Children Alliance. With 27 members and operational programs in over
110 countries, the Alliance is the world's largest global movement
for children.
- Save the Children has been working both overseas and in Canada for
over 85 years to improve the quality of children's lives through the
realization of their rights. Save the Children fights for children's
rights. We deliver immediate and lasting improvements to children's
lives worldwide.
- In November 2001, world cocoa industries including the Confectionary
Manufacturers Association of Canada (CMAC), signed a joint statement
acknowledging the need to comply with standards set by the
International Labour Organization's to protect children. The industry
agreed to identify and eliminate the worst forms of child labour and
forced labour with respect to the growing and processing of cocoa
beans by July 2005. Five years later, this willingness to prevent the
exploitation of children has produced very little in the way of
change.
- For more information please visit www.savethechildren.ca.
For further information: Sue Rooks, Communications Coordinator, Save the
Children Canada, 4141 Yonge St. Suite 300, Toronto, ON, (416) 221-5501 x305,
Cell: (416) 346-1310, srooks@savethechildren.ca
