This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
Published on May 6, 2020, by REUTERS
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, West African countries Ivory Coast and Ghana are bracing themselves for a potential spike in child labour. With schools closed and monitors unable to access villages in the cocoa harvest season, experts warn that the situation is dire.
The two countries, which together produce about 65% of the world's cocoa, have long struggled with child labour in the sector. Despite pledges from chocolate companies like Nestle and Hershey to reduce it, the problem persists. Fairtrade Africa has reported possible cases of child labour in Ivory Coast's eastern and western regions in recent weeks.
"In normal circumstances, children are already vulnerable, and now they are not going to school," said Anne-Marie Yao, regional cocoa manager for Fairtrade Africa. "We don't have access to those villages, we don't know exactly what is happening, and we know that this is the mid-season harvesting period."
More than 2 million children work in the cocoa sector in Ghana and Ivory Coast, an increase from 10 years ago, according to a draft of a US government-sponsored report. Some children work for their parents, while others are trafficked from abroad, according to activists.
"We have not yet seen any evidence that child labour has increased, but it is still early," said Nick Weatherill, executive director of the International Cocoa Initiative. "If the current situation continues, an increase in child labour is very likely."
Early action, such as cash transfers to households, could help mitigate the situation, Weatherill suggested. Teachers are often the first to spot child abuse, and Yao recommended that the state instruct them to keep in touch with their students and not leave the communities.
