Our research and experience show that women can make programmes to tackle child labour more effective. Women have skills that give them special access to children. As CLMRS agents, women also identify higher average rates of children in child labour than men, helping more children to receive support. Female agents also have higher success rates when it comes to helping children stop doing hazardous work.
However, men generally outnumber women in sustainability programmes. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Women have proven to be mobile, independent, and professionally competent as field agents.
This Learning into action brief summarizes practical action to improve the gender balance of staff in sustainability programmes. It draws on research findings and learning from the field about gender roles in cocoa communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
