This summary provides an overview of key findings and messages from a report commissioned by the European Commission, “Ending child labour and promoting sustainable cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana”. The report seeks to provide a detailed analysis of the root causes of child labour, and to propose solutions to address them.
Published in July 2021, the study consisted of a desk-review of relevant documents and interviews conducted with 137 individuals from 100 stakeholder organisations. These stakeholders represented cocoa and chocolate companies, national governments in cocoa-producing and consuming countries, the UN, international foundations and NGOs as well as workers’ and employers’ organisations.
The report recognises that ending child labour and promoting sustainable cocoa production has proven to be more complex than anticipated. Acknowledging the significant efforts undertaken, the report concludes on the following three key requirements to be met:
- Greater integration of child labour initiatives into a functioning institutional support system
- Develop a wider systems-based approach
- Greater focus on poverty reduction, education for children/youth, gender equality and deforestation
Read the full report: Ending child labour and promoting sustainable cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
