Young children engaged in risky cocoa work

Hundreds of thousands of children, many below the age of 14, are engaged in hazardous activities in West Africa's cocoa-producing countries and have never attended school, a study by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has reported. The August 2002 report, entitled "Child Labour in the Cocoa sector of West Africa", resulted from a study in Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria, which together account for about 70 percent of the world's cocoa production. Cote d'Ivoire produces 43 percent of the global crop, Ghana 15 percent, Nigeria seven percent and Cameroon four percent. Children in rural areas have traditionally worked in agriculture as part of the family unit. However, the study found that 64 percent of children in cocoa farming were below 14 years, and that 59 percent of these were boys. These children were involved in spraying pesticides, using machetes and carrying heavy loads, according to the IITA report. "Numerous children were engaged in hazardous activities," it said. "An estimated 284,000 children were clearing fields in cocoa farms using machetes and 153,000 children were involved in the application of pesticides." Some 129,410 children were engaged in all farm tasks and 6,341 were paid workers, the report added. The study noted that 41 percent of the children working in cocoa farms in Cote d'Ivoire and Nigeria were recruited through intermediaries. In Cote d'Ivoire, close to 12,000 were found to have no family relation to the cocoa farmer or local farm workers. The majority of these were originally from Burkina Faso. "Children that work are less likely to attend school. In Cote d'Ivoire, approximately one third of school age children (6-17 years) living in cocoa producing households had never attended school. Girls had a lower enrolment rate than boys," the report said. The study was commissioned as part of a protocol signed between the US Congress and the global chocolate industry in September 2001. It was intended to collect and analyse information on children working in the cocoa sector; identify the nature of conditions they work in; and document their migration and work histories. The research was conducted under the auspices of the International Labour Organisation, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Labour Department. For full report, go to: Http:// www.iita.org/news/chlab-rpt.htm