1.6 million children work in cocoa countries
Published: Saturday, Jun 22nd 2024, 08:00
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The chocolate industry continues to struggle with child labor. Around 1.6 million children are currently working in the central cocoa countries of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, according to a report by the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa.
The main reason for child labor is the poverty of the cocoa farmers, it is said. Child labor is work that hinders children in their education and affects them physically or mentally. This includes night work or carrying heavy loads.
All actors involved in the cocoa supply chain must now work together to improve conditions on the ground, the platform demands. For example, social systems and monitoring should be strengthened.
The Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (Swissco) is made up of 96 members who are active in cocoa-growing countries with a high proportion of child labor. They include chocolate manufacturers, commodity traders, retailers, NGOs and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco). Together they represent 93 percent of Switzerland's cocoa imports.
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