Case Studies

Cameroon faces significant challenges in relation to children's rights, particularly in artisanal mining areas. These areas employ many children, who are left exposed to several forms of exploitation, one of the most severe issues being sexual exploitation. According to a 2023 UNICEF report, around 20,000 children in these areas are survivors of sexual exploitation, with half of them being girls. These children are often exploited by mineral buyers, police officers, and other adults, forced into prostitution, sexual services, or marriages with adult men. This exploitation is primarily due to poverty, as well as a lack of education, and a weak state presence in these areas. The consequences for children who are sexually exploited are severe, including mental health issues, physical violence, school dropouts, and increased involvement in crime and prostitution. Despite efforts by the Cameroonian government and civil society organisations to combat this issue, measures employed are not sufficient. Organisations like the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) play a crucial role in combating child sexual exploitation by organising awareness sessions and providing support to child survivors, including legal, medical, and psychological assistance.  

Keywords: Sub-Saharan, Cameroon, minerals, mining, primary production, child labour, labour rights violations, human trafficking

Source:  https://rflgd.org/2024/01/21/cameroon-the-sad-reality-of-child-sexual-exploitation-in-artisanal-mining-areas/#:~:text=Sexual%20exploitation%20of%20children%20is,police%20officers%20and%20other%20adults 

The Verité report on coffee in Africa examines the challenges and issues within the coffee supply chain, focusing on labour rights and social responsibility. It highlights widespread issues such as child labour, forced labour, and poor working conditions among coffee workers across several African countries. These problems are exacerbated by factors like poverty, lack of education, and inadequate labour protections. The report identifies key areas for improvement, including enhancing transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain, strengthening labor laws and enforcement mechanisms, and promoting responsible sourcing practices among coffee buyers and exporters.

Verité calls for concerted efforts to address systemic issues in the coffee sector, ensuring that economic growth benefits all stakeholders fairly and sustainably.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroon, coffee, primary production, forced labour, labour rights violations, child labour

Source: https://verite.org/africa/explore-by-commodity/coffee/

A report by the Colombian Centro de Estudios Regionales Cafeteros Y Empresariales details the extent of child labour in Colombia’s coffee sector. Colombia's coffee zone covers 22 of 32 departments, with significant small-scale, traditional production. Child labour is allegedly prevalent in these zones due to familial economic needs, despite the national regulatory framework which includes international conventions and laws aimed at protecting young workers. The report finds that while most children in coffee-growing households attend school, attendance rates decline with age. Children and adolescents are involved in various coffee-related activities such as harvesting, carrying food, and processing coffee. According to the report, most children explain that their involvement in coffee activities does not interfere with their rights. However, some do mention reduced free time and fewer social interactions. There are also several safety concerns associated with specific tasks, particularly those involving machinery or harmful chemicals. Approximately 13.2% of surveyed children are engaged in child labour, primarily in hazardous activities like handling machinery or chemicals. These tasks pose significant risks to their health and safety. 

Keywords: Latin America, Colombia, coffee, primary production, child labour

Sources:  https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/Gayar.Arwa.T%40dol.gov/AN5F2E~1.PDF 

The Verité report on coffee in Africa examines the challenges and issues within the coffee supply chain, focusing on labour rights and social responsibility. It highlights widespread issues such as child labour, forced labour, and poor working conditions among coffee workers across several African countries. These problems are exacerbated by factors like poverty, lack of education, and inadequate labour protections. The report identifies key areas for improvement, including enhancing transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain, strengthening labor laws and enforcement mechanisms, and promoting responsible sourcing practices among coffee buyers and exporters.

Verité calls for concerted efforts to address systemic issues in the coffee sector, ensuring that economic growth benefits all stakeholders fairly and sustainably.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, coffee, primary production, labour rights violations, child labour, forced labour

Source: https://verite.org/africa/explore-by-commodity/coffee/

In 2021, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Tshopo province lost 12,000 hectares of intact forests to fires, a record-breaking loss linked to the expanding cultivation of cacao by recent migrants from neighbouring North Kivu province. This influx of people is caused by mass displacement of people from the South and North Kivu provinces in 2019 and 2020, which is, as a result, fuelling greater demand for food crops and an increase in cash crop production, especially cacao.

Some newcomers are financially well-off and able to purchase land from local chiefs to establish plantations, replacing forested areas. This has sparked tensions within local communities as land is considered communal property in many parts of Tshopo.

Cacao production, a well-documented driver of deforestation in West Africa, is now impacting the DRC. Efforts are being made to improve cultivators’ incomes to tackle child labour and prevent further deforestation. However, the specific dynamics in the DRC present unique challenges that need to be addressed.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), cocoa, child labour, land grabbing, deforestation

Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/drcs-cacao-boom-leaves-a-bitter-aftertaste-for-congo-basin-forest/#:~:text=DRC's%20cacao%20boom%20leaves%20a%20bitter%20aftertaste%20for%20Congo%20Basin%20forest,-by%20Malavika%20Vyawahare&text=The%20DRC's%20Tshopo%20province%20lost,DRC%20move%20into%20the%20province

The Verité report on coffee in Africa examines the challenges and issues within the coffee supply chain, focusing on labour rights and social responsibility. It highlights widespread issues such as child labour, forced labour, and poor working conditions among coffee workers across several African countries. These problems are exacerbated by factors like poverty, lack of education, and inadequate labour protections. The report identifies key areas for improvement, including enhancing transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain, strengthening labor laws and enforcement mechanisms, and promoting responsible sourcing practices among coffee buyers and exporters.

Verité calls for concerted efforts to address systemic issues in the coffee sector, ensuring that economic growth benefits all stakeholders fairly and sustainably.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, coffee, primary production, labour rights violations, forced labour, child labour

Source: https://verite.org/africa/explore-by-commodity/coffee/

The Cadbury brand, owned by Mondelēz International, is facing allegations of child labour on cocoa farms in Ghana. In April 2022, a Channel 4 Dispatches documentary revealed that children as young as 10 were using machetes to harvest cocoa pods, with some working long hours and not attending school. This comes despite the chocolate industry's 20-year-old pledge to eliminate child labour. In the documentary, children can be seen performing hazardous tasks without protective gear. One girl reported a severe injury from using a machete. However, Ghanaian law prohibits children under 13 from working on cocoa farms and bans hazardous labour for anyone under 18. Despite this, such issues are not contained to Mondelēz farms, with a 2020 study finding that 1.56 million children are involved in cocoa farming in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Behind this child labour is cocoa farmers' poverty, with farmers earning too little to hire adult workers.  

Keywords: Sub-Saharn Africa, Ghana, cocoa, primary production, labour rights violations, child labour

Sources:  https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/ghana-documentary-finds-child-labour-on-cocoa-farms-supplying-cadbury-owner-mondel%C4%93z-international/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/apr/03/cadbury-faces-fresh-accusations-of-child-labour-on-cocoa-farms-in-

In March 2020, the news organisation Channel 4uncovered child labour on coffee farms in Guatemala. The investigated farms were found to be supplying beans to international giant's Starbucks and Nespresso. The investigation revealed children as young as eight working up to 40-hour weeks in harsh conditions, earning as little as £5 a day. These children were paid based on the weight of coffee beans they picked, with sacks weighing up to 45kg. Both Starbucks and Nespresso, part of Nestlé, faced criticism and legal scrutiny for allegedly violating international labour standards set by the U.N.'s International Labour Organisation. Despite such claims, child labour persisted across farms used by Starbucks until 2019. Starbucks responded with a full investigation and confirmed no recent purchases from implicated farms, while Nespresso suspended purchases pending its own investigation. Both companies expressed zero tolerance for child labour but acknowledged the need for further improvement in their supply chain oversight. 

Keywords: Latin America, Guatemala, coffee, primary production, child labour

Sources: https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guatemala-children-as-young-as-eight-picked-coffee-beans-on-farms-supplying-starbucks/ 

The 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report on Kenya assesses the country's efforts and challenges in combating human trafficking. Key findings include concerns about inadequate resources for victim protection, limited legal safeguards for vulnerable populations, and the prevalence of trafficking in refugee camps and informal settlements. It was reported that traffickers exploit Kenyan children in labor trafficking in cattle herding. Recommendations urge Kenya to strengthen law enforcement responses, increase funding for victim services, and address the root causes of trafficking through education and economic empowerment. The report emphasises the importance of international cooperation and partnerships to combat cross-border trafficking networks effectively. 

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya, cattle, primary production, human trafficking, child labour

Source: https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-trafficking-in-persons-report/kenya/ 

Approximately 360,000 children, or 33% of those aged between 5 and 15, work in Liberia, primarily in agriculture. A significant number are engaged in the production of rubber on smallholder farms and large-scale plantations, often in dangerous conditions and at the expense of their education. According to the United States Department of Labour, major contributing factors to child labour in Liberia’s rubber sector include household poverty, the existence of worker quota production systems, the high cost of adult labour, a lack of awareness, limited access to education, and limited inspection and enforcement of labour standards.

The “Actions to Reduce Child Labor (ARCH)” project was implemented in Liberia from December 2012 to April 2017. The project targeted 10,100 children engaged in or at risk of entering exploitative child labour in Liberia, with a focus on the rubber sector. In addition, the project targeted 3,700 vulnerable households for sustainable livelihoods promotion. The project operated in the counties of Montserrado, Margibi, and Nimba. By the end of the project in March 2017, it had provided education services to 10,126 children and livelihood services to 3,700 households.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, Liberia, rubber, primary production, labour rights violations, child labour

Source: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/actions-reduce-child-labor-arch-areas-rubber-production#:~:text=Approximately%20360%2C000%20children%20between%20the,farms%20and%20large%2Dscale%20plantations.