Illegal child labor exists...

Illegal child labor exists and this is what we all have to do about it.
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20 years ago, Big Choco promised that they would would drastically reduce child labor in the cocoa industry. Today, unfortunately, millions of children still work illegally on cocoa plantations in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The results of the latest NORC report are not only alarming, it is above all a wake-up call: for legislation and for action to tackle poverty, the main cause of child labour.

We only have news: there is still a lot of illegal child labor
Shocking but true: according to the latest American NORC report 1.56 million children worked illegally in the cocoa industry in Ghana in the 2018/19 season and Ivory Coast. Despite many promises from the industry to put an end to this exploitation, the problem of illegal child labor on cocoa plantations in West Africa has remained unchanged over the past five years. In fact, the report even shows that child labor has actually increased in low and medium production areas. That's really not okay!

But, wasn't it 2 million children last time?
Sharp! The figures in the new NORC report are lower. Although that seems like good news, the reality is more difficult. It turns out that previous reports took other variables into account, resulting in too high a number. That is why NORC says that it is better not to compare the figures, but their magnitude. And unfortunately, the new NORC figures show that the number of cases of illegal child labor has once again not decreased. These figures do not even include the number of victims of human trafficking and forced labor. A study conducted in 2018, confirms that at least 30,000 people (children and adults) are victims of modern slavery in the cocoa industry in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

What else does the NORC report show?
We are eating more and more chocolate. This also means that more cocoa is produced. So more profit for Big Choco and more treats for choco fans. At the same time, this also means that more and more children, sometimes as young as five years old, have to do dangerous work so that they and their families can survive. In 2018/2019, a total of 1 in 2 children in cocoa farmer families were victims of illegal child labor. These figures clearly show that the industry has not delivered on its promises and has again not achieved its 2020 target.

What were those promises again?
​​​ ​​​​Back to 2001, when Big Choco signed the Harkin-Engel Protocol and promised to end the worst forms of child labor within five years. In 2010, after failing to meet their deadlines three times, the promise was renewed and even stated the ambition to reduce illegal child labor by 70% by 2020. Almost 20 years later, despite numerous non-binding initiatives and actions, nothing has changed. We can now conclude that the industry has not made any progress. Time is up! Mandatory due diligence legislation is needed that guarantees human rights and puts an end to illegal child labor.

Why is there still illegal child labor?
That's because we are the main cause illegal child labor is still not properly tackled: poverty. Children work illegally on plantations because the cocoa farmers are too poor to provide for themselves. Big Choco and governments are the big problem here. Because of them, the cocoa price is far too low and farmers can hardly survive without the help of their children.

Yes, because let's be honest, governments worldwide are just as responsible as the industry. They do not hold companies 100% responsible for the child labor that occurs in their production chain, as a result of which human rights continue to be violated. This allows chocolate companies to get away with unfair cocoa sourcing and exploitation. Supermarkets and other retailers are also responsible, because we buy what is on their shelves. And... chocolate fans also maintain the system by continuing to buy products that are made unfairly. Yep, even cocoa farmers participate, if they don't stand up for the rights of children. Sooo... we're all part of the problem. And we can all be part of the solution.

Uhh.. Tony's you always look at the positive, right?
You bet yes! And amid all the bad news, we did find some hopeful signals. International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) has reported that with the systems that detect and resolve child labor, we can reduce dangerous child labor by up to 50% reduce. Unfortunately, these systems are currently only implemented in 10-20% of cocoa communities in Ghana and Ivory Coast. The solution is clear: scale up!

ICI and its members must raise the bar much higher and improve their Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS), just as we are doing now, in all cocoa communities. In turn, we will do everything we can to make this problem visible, build trust and work together with cooperatives, farmers and the ICI to ensure a change in mentality. And we will consider the rights of children more important than making a profit.

Dusseh.. is CLMRS the only solution to solve all this?Wouldn't that be nice? CLMRS is certainly a step in the right direction, but to fully and sustainably solve such a complex problem as illegal child labor, we need a holistic approach. We must remember that poverty is the root cause of this problem. And that poverty itself is multifaceted and complex; it needs to be addressed from many different angles. That's why our 5 cooperation principles super important.

What else will Tony's do to tackle illegal child labor?
Good thing you asked! To get started, take a look at these ideas, because uh... they could relate to you too:

Looking for allies for our mission
The more companies use the bean-to-bar principle and the more companies work with our 5 cooperation principles, the lower the chance that illegal child labor will occur in the chain. To make it extra easy to follow our lead, we've added Tony's Open Chain: the open source platform where all chocolate companies can unite and make 100% slave-free chocolate the norm.

Campaigning for legislation
We continue to work hard to make this world a fairer place. This includes lobbying governments to implement legislation against illegal child labor and modern slavery. Watch out, Brussels, London and Washington, DC! Here we come!

Sign the petition
Good news for you: you as a chocolate fan also have a voice in this matter. Are you participating? You participate with every bite you take of our Tony's Chocolate. And if you haven't already, sign our petition!

Meanwhile, Green America and Mighty Earth have a scorecard released to help you make a conscious choice.