Extreme poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities result in some families sending their children to work on cocoa farms. It is reported that some children are ‘sold’ to traffickers or farm owners, paying for a determined duration of labour. Children as young as 10 years then work for 12-14 hours a day with few breaks, insufficient water and nutrition, forced to carry heavy bags of cocoa beans across long distances, and with exposure to pesticides and other hazardous agricultural chemicals without adequate protection. Almost every child on a cocoa farm will display scars and wounds from swinging the heavy-bladed machetes used to crop the plants.
To comply with international labour standards and norms, such as the ILO convention 138 on the Minimum Age for Employment and the ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, multinational corporations need to ensure that their suppliers are not involved in human trafficking and/or forced labour of children and adults. Companies should further implement monitoring systems, transparent procurement policies, regular auditing activities and training of the supply chain managers on how to detect human trafficking/forced labour or any other irregular incidents.
This discussion gives lessons learned and emerging practices to eliminate child labour within supply chains. How has public policy impacted child labour practices? Can international labour standards and norms continued to be improved? How does culture and gender impact the practices of child labour?
To promote “Safe Living in Dormitories”, this video informs employers and workers (particularly migrant workers) on steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (and other viruses), keep common areas safe and ensure the well-being o...Read More
Sneaker connoisseur Jacques Slade is a guy that really loves his sneakers and creates YouTube videos about them, as well as other things. In one of his recent standout unboxing clips, Slade revealed something glaring, specifically to focus our attent...Read More
When:
November 27, 2017 – November 29, 2017 all-day
Introducing RESPECT at the 6th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights On Wednesday, 29 November 2017, Livia Wagner (Global Initiative) presented the RESPECT Initiative (the Responsible and Ethical Private Sector Coalition against Trafficking) at the 2017 UN Forum on Business...
The Alliance against Trafficking in Persons is a platform for advocacy and co-operation that includes international and civil society organizations and is co-ordinated by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating T...Read More