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Identifying child labor

Identifying children at risk of exploitation in the cocoa supply chain

June 11, 2018

In 2017, Cargill established an industry-leading monitoring system to identify and protect children in our cocoa supply chain, especially those involved in child labor. Now heading into its third year, Cargill’s Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS) is part of our holistic approach to achieving our goal of ending child labor in our supply chain by 2025 which also includes prevention methods and community development activities.

Cargill’s CLMRS was developed with the support of our partner, the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI), which is a leader in child protection in the industry. The initiative also benefits from the support of SOSTECI, the national agency in charge of overall government strategy for child labor monitoring.

We piloted the new system with eight cooperatives in Côte d’Ivoire in 2016/17 and successfully reached more than 5,000 farmers and their families. In the second year, we are reaching more than 8,000 farmers in nine coops, and we are targeting more than 11,000 in the third year. CLMRS will expand to cover our entire direct cocoa supply chain in the coming years.

Evidence-based

The first step of the monitoring process is carried out at farmer level. During farm visits, all members of the household are interviewed individually and enrolled in the in the system.

The second step of the process is carried out during an unannounced visit to the farm. All children found in the field during the visit are interviewed to find out why they were in the field and the type of work they participate in.

Taking Action

We have found that raising awareness of the causes and consequences of child labor contributes to its prevention. Our CLMRS approach includes two types of training:

Awareness raising sessions for all community members
This session is carried out at the village level through ‘farmer days’, formal cooperative meetings and other community training sessions. More than 300 community awareness-raising sessions have been conducted in 2017.

Farmer household training and sensitization
At the end of the household survey, the Farmer Coach meets the farmer’s extended family to explain the risk encountered by children involved in hazardous activities. In 2017, more than 10,000 household members participated.

 

> Find out how we are working with ICI to act on what we found during the first wave of the Cargill CLMRS

Highlights

More than 5,000 farmers  in Côte d’Ivoire reached through the first wave of the Cargill Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System in 2017.

In the second wave which took place through 2018, we reached nine more cooperatives and more than 8.000 farmers in Côte d’Ivoire.

 

How it works

Cargill’s child labor monitoring and remediation system is at the center of our holistic approach to ending child labor. Take a look at our new infographic which explains how the CLMRS systems fits in the context of our child labor prevention and community development activities.

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