In a drive for increased transparency in the cocoa sector, ICI and its members annually report details of activities to tackle child labour in cocoa. The results from the October 2022 – September 2023 period show that over 1 million smallholder cocoa-farming households across West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria) were covered by ICI’s members through Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems (CLMRS), systems which have proven effective in identifying, addressing, and preventing child labour.
ICI’s Executive Director, Matthias Lange said,
“The results from ICI’s members are promising, showing extensive coverage, improved identification of children in child labour, and greater support provided to them, as well as strong collaboration with local and national authorities. We need to continue building on this progress and, as these systems won’t solve child labour alone, make sure they are accompanied by the necessary government policies and investment.”
Over 540,000 children received support
Within these systems around 215,000 children were identified in child labour, representing about 15% of children covered. Once identified, support can be provided to help these children stop engaging in child labour and improve their situation.
More than 540,000 children have received support to help prevent or remediate child labour. This number is significantly higher than those found in child labour, as many remediation activities are organised at a community level (such as investment in education), and therefore benefit more children than only those identified in child labour.
Examples of support include targeted awareness raising and counselling, assistance in covering school costs (uniforms and books), supporting children to get birth certificates (required to access secondary education in Côte d’Ivoire), investing in education infrastructure, cash transfers, and the development of alternative income generating activities for cocoa-farming households.
38% of children no longer in child labour after two follow-up visits
Follow-up visits are critical in ensuring continued and sustained improvement. Based on systems where data on two follow-up visits was available, results indicate that about 38% of the children found in child labour were no longer engaged in such activities after two consecutive visits.
A shared responsibility
While these results are encouraging, they highlight that no one approach alone can eradicate child labour. The persistence of child labour, despite support, points to the need for continued and multifaceted approaches, including government policies and investments that provide access to essential services like healthcare, education, and social protection.
ICI members, in addition to supporting NGOs, communities and farmer organisations, are also working closely with local and national stakeholders to strengthen the overall framework for child labour prevention and response. The results from the 2022-2023 Members Reporting Exercise indicates that 71% of CLMRS had operational links with local or national authorities, and nearly half reported data on child labour to these authorities.
“Collaboration is key. The fight for human rights and improving children’s futures in cocoa-producing regions is a shared responsibility, and with continued collective action we can achieve lasting change,” explained ICI Executive Director, Matthias Lange.