Government of Côte d’Ivoire
Government of Ghana
U.S. Department of Labor
International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry
CLCCG REPORT:
2010-2020 Efforts to Reduce
Child Labor in Cocoa
Photo Credit: World Cocoa Foundation
The United States Department of Labor is responsible only for the content it provided for this report. The
material provided by other signatories to the Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of
the Harkin-Engel Protocol does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States
Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply
endorsement by the United States Government.
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ACRONYMS………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE (FRENCH)….…………………………………………..……………….
REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA…………………………………………………………………………………….…….
REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR………………………………………………………………...……….……….......
REPORT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE & COCOA INDUSTRY…………………………………………………….
APPENDIX 1: DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………………….………………………..……….
APPENDIX 2: FRAMEWORK………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
APPENDIX 3: BY-LAWS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………
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ACRONYMS
ACE Action against Child Exploitation
CAP Community Action Plan
CARE Cooperative for Relief and Assistance Everywhere Inc.
CCP Toward Child Labor Free Cocoa Growing Communities in Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana through an Integrated Area Base Approach
(Cocoa Communities Project)
CCPC Community Child Protection Committee
CIM Inter-ministerial Committee against Trafficking, Exploitation and
Child Labor/le Comité Interministériel de Lutte Contre la Traite,
l’Exploitation et le Travail des Enfants
CLCCG Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group/Groupe de Coordination
des Actions de lutte contre le Travail des Enfants dans la
Cacaoculture
CLFZ Child Labor Free Zone
CLMS Child Labor Monitoring System
CLMRS Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System
CLU Child Labor Unit
CNS National Oversight Committee for the Fight against Child
Trafficking, Exploitation and Child Labor/ le Comité National de
Lutte Contre la Traite, l’Exploitation et le Travail des Enfants
COCOBOD Ghana Cocoa Board
CPC Child Protection Committee
CSO Civil Society Organization
DCPC District Child Protection Committee
Declaration Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of the
Harkin-Engel Protocol
ECLIC Eliminating Child Labor in Cocoa
FCFA Financial Community of Africa Franc/Franc Communauté
Financière Africaine
FFA Framework for Action
FLIP Forced Labor Indicators Project
Framework Framework of Action to Support the Implementation of the
Harkin-Engel Protocol
GAWU Ghana’s General Agricultural Workers Union
GCLMS Ghana Child Labor Monitoring System
GEA Ghana Employer’s Association
GNHR Ghana National Household Registry
GSGDA Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda
Harkin-Engel Protocol Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and
their Derivative Products
ICI International Cocoa Initiative
ILAB Bureau of International Labor Affairs
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ACRONYMS
ILO/BIT International Labor Organization/Bureau International du
Travail
ILO-IPEC International Labor Organization, International Program on the
Elimination of Child Labor
Industry International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry
MELR Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations
MMDAs Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies
MOCA Mobilizing Community Action and Promoting Opportunities for
Youth in Ghana’s Cocoa Growing Communities
NGO/ONG Non-Governmental Organization/Organisation Non
Gouvernementale
NPA National Plan of Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms
of Child Labor
NPA1 Ghana’s National Plan of Action Phase I
NPA2 Ghana’s National Plan of Action Phase II
NPECLC Ghana’s National Programme for the Elimination of the Worst
Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa
NPECLC II Ghana’s National Programme for the Elimination of the Worst
Forms of Child Labour in Cocoa, Phase II
NSC National Steering Committee
NSCCL National Steering Committee on Child Labor
OSH Occupational Safety and Health
PPP Combatting Child Labour in Cocoa Growing Communities in
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, a public-private partnership between
ILO-IPEC and Industry
SDG/ODD Sustainable Development Goals/Objectifs de Développement
Durable
SMC School Management Committee
SOSTECI System of Observation and Monitoring of Child Labor in Côte
d’Ivoire/le Système d’Observation et de Suivi du Travail des
enfants en Côte d’Ivoire
UNICEF United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund
USAID U.S. Agency for International Development
USD United States Dollar
USDOL U.S. Department of Labor
VSLA Village Savings and Loan Association
WCF World Cocoa Foundation
WFCL Worst Forms of Child Labor
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INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
In 2001, in response to reports of child labor in West African cocoa production, representatives of the
International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry (Industry) entered into a voluntary commitment entitled the
“Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and their Derivative Products in a Manner that
Complies with ILO Convention 182” (Harkin-Engel Protocol or Protocol). The Protocol served as a call to
action for public and private sector actors, leading to collaborative efforts to eliminate the worst forms
of child labor (WFCL) in West African cocoa production. By the end of the decade, there was recognition
by the parties of a need for more coordinated action to address the issue.
With that realization, in September 2010, the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the U.S.
Department of Labor (USDOL), and representatives of Industry came together to sign the Declaration of
Joint Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol (Declaration), committing the
signatories to join together in the fight against child labor in the production of cocoa. The Declaration,
which was witnessed by Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel, and the International Labor
Organization (ILO), was accompanied by the Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the
Harkin-Engel Protocol (Framework), which spelled out key actions needed to achieve the goals of the
Protocol, including the formation of the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group (CLCCG).
Signatories to the Declaration committed to the goal of reducing the WFCL in cocoa growing areas of
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana by 70 percent in aggregate by the year 2020. As stated in the Framework, this
objective was to be achieved through joint efforts in the following areas:
provision of education and vocational training services to children as a means to remove
children from, or prevent them from entering into, the WFCL;
application of protective measures to remove workplace hazards from cocoa farming to allow
children of legal working age to work under safe conditions;
promotion of livelihood services for the households of children working in the cocoa sector;
establishment and implementation of community-based child labor monitoring systems (CLMS)
in cocoa growing areas; and
conducting national representative child labor surveys at least every five years.
The partners have joined together to release this report, covering the period of 2010 to 2020, to inform
interested stakeholders and the general public of the actions taken as part of this endeavor, and the
progress made during this 10-year period towards achievement of the goals of the Declaration and
Framework. In particular, this report highlights notable efforts being undertaken by the partners in one
or more of the five bulleted areas above, including the implementation of nationally-representative
child labor surveys in the cocoa growing areas of both countries. Additionally, this report highlights a
number of key efforts by the partners, which go beyond the original, voluntary commitments under the
Declaration and accompanying Framework, and which are intended to contribute to a reduction in the
WFCL in cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
COMMITMENTS UNDER THE DECLARATION
Under the Declaration, the CLCCG partners voluntarily committed substantial human and financial
resources to support the effort of achieving the overarching goals of the 2010 Framework. The CLCCG
partners piloted and began to scale up efforts to withdraw children engaged in, or prevent those at risk
of becoming engaged in, the WFCL in cocoa production. These efforts included the provision of support
services for children, including quality education services, relevant vocational training, and the
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INTRODUCTION
implementation of protective measures to address workplace hazards in cocoa production for children
of legal working age; and the provision of livelihood services for the households of children in cocoa
growing communities. All CLCCG partners worked to establish and implement a credible and
transparent CLMS in both countries, and they agreed to the conducting of independent, nationally
representative child labor surveys in the cocoa sector every five years during the life of the Declaration.
At the signing of the 2010 Declaration, USDOL voluntarily committed $10 million to accelerate work to
achieve the goals of the Protocol. Since that time, USDOL has actually provided over $29 million to
support six core projects aimed at preventing and reducing child labor in cocoa growing areas of Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana. USDOL also has funded five additional technical assistance projects that include one
or more components to address child labor in cocoa, totaling $12 million, and has announced its
intention in 2020 to fund a $4 million technical assistance project in Côte d’Ivoire and another $4 million
project in Ghana, with each project focused on increasing the number of cocoa cooperatives taking
actions to help reduce child labor in the cocoa supply chain.
For its part under the Declaration, Industry committed $7 million in new funding over a five-year period
and pledged to explore the possibility of committing $3 million in additional funding for remediation
activities that would further the goals of the Protocol. By 2014, Industry had met its commitment,
funding $10.1 million in technical assistance projects to implement Framework activities. These projects
included individual company projects by Barry Callebaut; Ferrero; The Hershey Company; Mars,
Incorporated; Mondelēz International; and Nestlé, and a jointly funded public-private partnership
implemented by the ILO. In 2014, as individual company projects were approaching their final reporting
commitments under the Framework, Industry partners committed to continue to support Framework
priorities through participation in the World Cocoa Foundations (WCF) CocoaAction platform. These
Industry partners included Barry Callebaut; Blommer; Cargill; Ferrero; The Hershey Company; Mars,
Incorporated; Mondelēz International; Nestlé; and Olam. Overall, Industry invested $215 million in
support of community development programs through CocoaAction between 2015 and 2020. In 2020,
Industry announced that it will invest $30 million by 2025 in Child Learning and Education Facility (CLEF),
a new education fund in Côte d’Ivoire that is expected to reach five million children.
The Governments of Côte dIvoire and Ghana agreed to allocate necessary human and financial
resources to support the efforts under the Declaration. In 2011, the Government of te d’Ivoire
committed $1.8 million to address the WFCL in 30 cocoa villages. Between 2012 and 2019, the
Government of Côte dIvoire allocated $19 million in total to activities related to the implementation of
the Protocol. Since 2012, the Government of te d’Ivoire has utilized its National Plan of Action for the
Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor (NPA) to implement Framework-related activities. The
NPA had an overall budget of approximately $28 million from 20122014, funded from a number of
sources, including the Government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other private donors;
between 2015 and 2017, the Government of Côte dIvoire implemented the NPA, with an overall budget
of approximately $24 million. For 20192021, te d’Ivoire and its partners have planned $127 million
of activities under the Ivoirian NPA, of which the Government of Côte d’Ivoire allocated $13.7 million in
2019.
To honor its commitment under the Declaration, the Government of Ghana allocated $1.3 million to
Ghanas National Program for the Elimination on the Worst Forms of Child Labor in Cocoa (NPECLC) to
conduct Framework activities during the period of 20112012. Since 2010, the Government of Ghana
has implemented the Ghana Child Labor Monitoring System (GCLMS), and between 20152019, the
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) provided $3 million in funding for a scholarship program for children in
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INTRODUCTION
cocoa growing areas and committed to build schools in selected cocoa growing communities in Ghana.
Since 2017, the Government of Ghana has been implementing the second phase of the National Plan of
Action Phase II (NPA2) for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (20172021) and the
National Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa II (NPECLC II).
KEY HIGHLIGHTS 2010-2020
In the 10-year period since the Declaration was signed in 2010, the CLCCG partners have carried out a
broad spectrum of activities to reduce the WFCL in the cocoa growing regions of te d’Ivoire and
Ghana:
Since the signing of the Declaration, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire has made significant
strides in adopting legislation relevant to addressing child labor in cocoa production. From
20152016, the Government of Côte d’Ivoire adopted a Constitution that prohibits child labor
and enshrines the right to education for both boys and girls, a revised Labor Code that raised the
minimum working age from 14 to 16, and a law that established compulsory education through
age 16. In 2017, the Government of te d’Ivoire adopted a revised list of hazardous work
prohibited for children under age 18, as well as new regulations on light work for children ages
13 to 16. The Government of Côte d’Ivoire
also has designed, funded, and implemented three
NPAs, each time building on best practices and improving upon lessons learned from earlier NPA
implementation. Priorities for the 20192021 NPA include increasing efforts to mobilize
resources at the national level, reinforcing regional cooperation and public-private partnerships,
incorporating WFCL considerations into national and sector-specific programming, and
reinforcing the monitoring and evaluation of the national strategy for the fight against
trafficking and the WFCL. In addition, the Government of te d’Ivoire developed and piloted its
CLMS, the System of Observation and Monitoring of Child Labor in Côte d’Ivoire – le Système
d’Observation et de Suivi du Travail des enfants en Côte dIvoire (SOSTECI) and continues to
expand access to education by building new classrooms and supporting the distribution of
school kits to vulnerable children.
The Government of Ghana has implemented two NPAs on the WFCL, the most recent being
Phase II (NPA2, 20172021) and continues to support preparations the second phase of NPECLC
II. The Government also implements the GCLMS; a child education support program,
implemented by COCOBOD; and hosts several important meetings on child labor issues with key
stakeholders in Ghana. COCOBOD also established a child labor desk to help monitor and
coordinate efforts on child labor in cocoa.
USDOL-funded projects have assisted the Governments of te d’Ivoire and Ghana in the
adoption of child labor laws, policies, and their NPAs and in the development and piloting of
each countrys CLMS. These projects also have provided educational services to more than
26,000 children engaged in or at risk of child labor in cocoa and livelihood services to
approximately 8,200 of their households. In addition, projects funded by USDOL have raised
awareness on child labor in cocoa growing communities and empowered them to address child
labor locally through the development and implementation of Community Action Plans (CAPs).
Further, USDOL has funded two nationally-representative surveys in the cocoa growing areas of
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, the most recent of which was conducted in the 20182019 harvest
season and is expected to be published in the fall of 2020.
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INTRODUCTION
Industry has invested in a broad package of measures to combat child labor, including child
protection and awareness-raising programs, educational services, and women’s livelihood
support programs. Between 2010 and 2020, Industry provided school materials to roughly
61,000 children in Côte d’Ivoire and 20,000 children in Ghana, and more than 900 communities
in the two countries participated in Industry-funded school nutrition programs. Cocoa and
chocolate companies also funded income generation activities for more than 31,000 individuals
in te d’Ivoire and 39,000 in Ghana during the 10-year period. In addition, Industry integrated
responsible risk-management systems within supply chains through Child Labor Monitoring and
Remediation Systems (CLMRS). These systems prevent, identify, monitor, and remediate child
labor cases. Industry supply chain-based CLMRS currently cover about 20 percent of
households in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Industry plans to raise this to 100 percent by 2025.
The Governments of te d’Ivoire and Ghana, USDOL, and Industry meet regularly as the CLCCG,
the steering group responsible for overseeing and reporting on implementation of the 2010
Declaration and Framework. The CLCCG focuses its activities on better coordination,
collaboration, and information sharing among the three governments and Industry. The CLCCG
also promotes greater transparency to the public through the publication of its annual reports
and the convening of annual briefings to inform stakeholders of the status of efforts.
MOVING FORWARD
A decade after the Declaration was signed, we find ourselves assessing and evaluating our efforts to
reduce child labor in cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana for the last time under the
Framework. There have been considerable advancements within the Framework areas of
concentration, in particular the increase in the accessibility of education and vocational services,
implementation of CLMS in cocoa growing areas, and effective community-led approaches prioritizing
action on child labor. Even with all of the gains, there is a need for stakeholders to find new ways to
make progress and to bring to scale successful approaches to tackling this issue, while capitalizing on
lessons learned. Stakeholders also should remain vigilant and be prepared to take necessary actions
where cases of forced child labor may be identified. As we can all agree, while important progress has
been made, too many children still work in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms.
While the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and Industry remain at the forefront of this fight,
consumer governments and civil society have important roles to play. The CLCCG partners, in this
report, have exhibited their voluntary commitment to face this complex challenge, but there is still a
long road ahead. Promoting transparency and accountability within cocoa supply chains represents a
critical step toward ending child labor in this sector. Empowering local communities is also essential, as
is providing remediation services to children engaged in WFCL. To reach our goal, we will need all
stakeholders working together toward our shared goal of ending the WFCL and improving the lives of
vulnerable children and families in cocoa growing areas in West Africa.
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GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY EFFORTS AND
PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED BETWEEN
SEPTEMBER 2010 AND AUGUST 2020
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Synthèse des progrès réalisés par la Côte d’Ivoire en matière de lutte contre
le travail des enfants dans la cacaoculture
2012 2019
__________________________________________________________________________
SOMMAIRE
I. Contexte général de la lutte contre le travail des enfants dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement du
cacao en Côte d’Ivoire
II. Principaux acquis de la Côte d’Ivoire en matière de lutte contre le travail des enfants
III. Actions prioritaires de la Côte d’Ivoire dans le domaine de la lutte contre le travail des enfants
IV. Point des investissements réalisés par le Gouvernement en 2019 dans le cadre de la mise en
œuvre du Plan d’Action National 2019-2021 de lutte contre la traite, l’exploitation et le travail
des enfants
__________________________________________________________________________
I. Contexte général de la lutte contre le travail des enfants dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement
du cacao en Côte d’Ivoire
La problématique du travail des enfants est au cœur des préoccupations mondiales depuis
bientôt 20 ans. Dans le secteur du cacao, cette question est devenue particulièrement sensible
au niveau des opinions publiques, notamment en Europe et aux Etats Unis d’Amérique.
En effet, le phénomène du travail des enfants a été révélé au grand public par la chaîne anglaise
BBC News, dans son reportage intitulé « The Bitter Taste of Slavery » (septembre 2000) qui
portait sur des cas d’enfants travailleurs forcés aux Etats Unis et en Grande Bretagne dans le
secteurs des employés de maison, en Inde dans les ateliers de fabrication de tapis, et en Côte
d’Ivoire dans les plantations de cacao.
C’est dans ce contexte que deux membres du Congrès américain, à savoir Tom HARKIN et Elliot
ENGEL, ont initié le 19 septembre 2001 la signature d’un protocole dit « Protocol Harkin-Engel »
avec les parties prenantes, enjoignant les industriels américains du cacao et du chocolatà
financer des actions dans les pays d’origine, en vue d’éradiquer le travail forcé des enfants dans
les plantations de cacao au plus tard le 1er juillet 2005.
Face aux à l’insuffisance des résultats concrets et significatifs obtenus au regard des
engagements pris par l’industrie du cacao et du chocolat dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre
dudit protocole, dont l’échéance a été repoussé en 2008 puis en 2010, et face à la persistance
du phénomène, un nouveau Cadre d’Action Conjoint a été adopté le 13 septembre 2010, soit 10
ans plus tard, entre les parties prenantes afin de soutenir et accélérer la mise en œuvre du
Protocol Harkin-Engel.
Il est bon de rappeler que l’objectif du Cadre d’Action Conjoint est de réduire de 70% les pires
formes de travail des enfants en Côte d’Ivoire et au Ghana à l’Horizon 2020.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
A l’approche de cette échéance, la question du travail des enfants dans la chaîne
d’approvisionnement du cacao reste un sujet d’actualité et constitue une source de
préoccupation majeure pour le gouvernement de la Côte d’Ivoire.
En effet, suite à une enquête et au reportage du Washington Post publié le 05 juin 2019, sur le
travail forcé des enfants dans certaines plantations de cacao en Côte d’Ivoire, deux sénateurs
démocrates américains Ron Wyden (Oregon) et Sherrod Brown (Ohio) ont saisi les douanes
américaines (Customs and Border Protection CBP) afin d’interdire les importations du cacao en
provenance de la Côte d’Ivoire, sur la base de la section 1307 de la loi américaine sur les
importations.
Cette situation constitue une menace sérieuse pour la durabilité de l’économie cacaoyère
nationale et pour la survie de plus de 8 millions de personnes qui vivent directement des
revenus du cacao. C’est à ce titre que l’engagement de la Côte d’Ivoire pour éradiquer le travail
des enfants dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement du cacao connait depuis 2011, un dynamisme
et un élan sans égal, grâce à la volonté politique du Président de la République, SEM Alassane
OUATTARA, qui a fait de l’élimination du travail des enfants, une priorité nationale dès son
accession au pouvoir d’État en 2011.
Pour opérationnaliser ses objectifs en matière de lutte contre le travail des enfants, la Côte
d’Ivoire a élaboré et mise en œuvre trois Plans d’Action Nationaux successifs depuis 2012. Le
premier de 2012 à 2014 avait un budget estimé à plus de 13 milliards de FCFA, soit environ 22,8
millions de dollars américain, le deuxième de 2015 à 2017 avec un budget équivalent au premier
et le troisième, de 2019 à 2021 a un budget de plus 76 milliards FCFA, soit environ 128 millions
de dollars américain. Cette hausse significative du budget du troisième plan d’Action National
découle de la volonté du gouvernement d’intensifier ses efforts en intégrant la lutte contre le
travail des enfants dans tous les programmes sociaux à l’échelle nationale.
Les Plans d’Action définissent la réponse nationale à travers une stratégie de riposte qui
s’articule autour de quatre piliers principaux à savoir:
1. La Prévention
2. La Protection
3. La Poursuite et la répression
4. La coordination et le suivi-évaluation
Le présent rapport de la Côte d’Ivoire élaboré dans le cadre du Groupe de coordination des
actions de lutte contre le travail des enfants dans la cacaoculture (CLCCG), a pour objectif, d’une
part, de présenter les principaux acquis enregistrés et d’autre part de présenter les actions
prioritaires engagées par la Côte d’Ivoire pour éliminer le travail des enfants dans la production
du cacao.
II. Principaux acquis de la Côte d’Ivoire en matière de lutte contre le travail des enfants
2.1. Acquis dans le domaine législatif et règlementaire
La Côte d’Ivoire a pris des mesures législatives et règlementaires pour interdire et punir la
traite et le travail des enfants. Ces mesures concernent l’adoption de conventions
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
internationales et régionales, mais également l’adoption de lois spécifiques au niveau
national.
a) 23 Conventions, Traités Internationaux et Régionaux relatifs aux Droits et à la
protection de l’enfant ont été adoptés
Il s’agit notamment de :
La Convention n° 29 de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail (OIT) de 1930 sur
le travail forcé;
La Déclaration Universelle de 1948 sur les Droits de l’Homme;
La Convention des Nations Unies de 1956 sur l’abolition de l’esclavage;
La Convention n° 105 de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail de 1957 sur
l’abolition du travail forcé;
La Convention n° 138 de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail de 1973 relative à
l’âge minimum d’admission à l’emploi;
La Convention de la Communauté Economique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest
(CEDEAO) de 1975 relative à la libre circulation des personnes et des biens, révisée
en 1993 et son protocole additionnel;
La Convention des Nations Unies de 1979 sur l’Elimination de toutes les formes de
discrimination à l’égard des Femmes;
La Charte Africaine des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples de 1981;
La Convention des Nations Unies de 1989 relative aux Droits de l’Enfant (CDE);
La Charte Africaine des Droits et du Bien-être de l’Enfant 1990 ;
La Convention de Dakar de 1992 en matière d’entraide judiciaire entre les Etats de
l’Afrique de l’Ouest;
La Convention de la Haye de 1993 sur la Protection des Enfants et la Coopération
en matière d’adoption internationale;
La Convention d’Abuja de 1994 sur l’extradition entre les Etats de l’Afrique de
l’Ouest;
La Convention n°182 de l’Organisation Internationale du Travail de 1999 sur
l’interdiction des pires formes de travail des Enfants et l’action immédiate en vue
de leur élimination;
Le Protocole facultatif de 2000 se rapportant à la Convention des Droits des
Enfants (CDE), concernant l’implication d’enfants dans les conflits armées;
Le Protocole additionnel de 2000 se rapportant à la Convention des Nations Unies
contre la criminalité transfrontalière organisée visant à prévenir, réprimer et punir
la traite des personnes en particulier des femmes et des enfants;
L’Acte constitutif de l’Union Africaine de 2000;
L’Accord de coopération d’Accra de 2003 en matière de police criminelle entre les
pays de la Communauté Economique des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO);
L’Accord multilatéral de coopération en matière de lutte contre la traite des
enfants en Afrique de l’Ouest de 2005;
L’Accord de coopération régionale d’Abuja de 2006 en matière de lutte contre la
traite des personnes en particulier des Femmes et des Enfants en Afrique de
l’Ouest et du Centre;
L’Accord de coopération bilatérale de 2011 entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Mali en
matière de lutte contre la traite transfrontalière des Enfants;
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L’Accord de coopération bilatérale de 2013 entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Burkina
Faso en matière de lutte contre la traite transfrontalière des Enfants; et
L’Accord de coopération bilatérale de 2016 entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Ghana de
2016 en matière de lutte contre la traite transfrontalière des Enfants.
b) 22 instruments juridiques nationaux garantissent la protection de l’enfant contre la
traite et le travail des enfants
Il s’agit notamment de:
La Constitution du 08 novembre 2016, en son article 16, interdit le travail des
Enfants;
La Loi n°2010-272 du 30 septembre 2010 portant interdiction de la traite et des
pires formes de travail des enfants;
La Loi n°2015-635 du 17 Septembre 2015 sur l’école obligatoire pour tous les
Enfants de 6 à 16 ans;
La Loi n°2015-532 du 20 Juillet 2015 portant Code du travail;
La Loi n°2016-1111 du 08 Décembre 2016 relative à la lutte contre la traite des
personnes;
Le Décret n°2006-11 du 22 février 2006 portant organisation du Ministère de
l’Intérieur qui crée en son article 31, la Sous-Direction de la Lutte contre le Trafic
d’Enfants et la Délinquance Juvénile;
Le Décret n°2011-365 du 3 novembre 2011 portant création du Comité
Interministériel de lutte contre la Traite, l’Exploitation et le Travail des Enfants;
Le Décret n°2011-366 du 3 novembre 2011 portant création du Comité National
de Surveillance des actions de Lutte contre la Traite, l’Exploitation et le Travail des
Enfants;
Le Décret n°2013-857 du 19 décembre 2013 portant Institution du Parlement des
Enfants de Côte d’Ivoire;
Le Décret n°2014-290 du 21 Mai 2014 portant modalités d’application de la Loi n°
2010-272 du 30 septembre 2010 portant interdiction de la traite et des pires
formes de travail des Enfants;
Le Décret n°2014-675 du 5 novembre 2014 portant création, attributions,
organisation et fonctionnement de l’Unité de lutte contre la Criminalité
Transnationale organisée;
Le Décret n°2017-227 du 13 avril 2017 fixant les attributions, la composition,
l'organisation et le fonctionnement du Comité National de Lutte contre la Traite
des Personnes;
Le décret N°2018-925 du 12 décembre 2018 fixant les conditions et les modalités
d’assujettissement des personnes économiquement faibles ou démunies au
régime d’assistance médicale de la couverture maladie universelle;
Le décret N° 2019-759 du 18 septembre 2019 portant création du registre social
unique des ménages pauvres et vulnérables;
Le Décret N°2019-779 du 25 Septembre 2019 portant création, attributions,
organisation et fonctionnement du Comité Interministériel de Protection de
l’Enfant ;
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L’Arrêté n°2017-016 MEPS/CAB du 02 juin 2017 déterminant la liste des travaux
légers autorisés aux Enfants dont l’âge est compris entre treize (13) et seize (16)
ans ;
L’Arrêté n°2017-017 MEPS/CAB du 02 juin 2017 déterminant la liste des travaux
dangereux interdits aux Enfants ;
L’Arrêté N° 147 /MFFAS/CAB portant création, attributions et organisations des
Groupements d’Enfants et des Comités de Groupements d’Enfants au sein des
communautés.
L’Arrêté N° 2019-0123 MFFE-CAB du 09 Octobre 2019 déterminant les conditions
d’agrément des établissements associés au service public de la promotion et de la
protection de la femme, de la famille et de l’enfant
L’Arrêté N°2019-0124 MFFE-CAB du 09 Octobre 2019 portant attributions,
composition et fonctionnement de la commission d’agrément des établissements
associés au service public de la promotion et de la protection de la femme, de la
famille et de l’enfant
La Circulaire n°003/MJDH/CAB du 04 Juillet 2019 du Ministre de la Justice et des
Droits de l’Homme relative à la répression des auteurs de la traite et des pires
formes de travail des Enfants ; et
La Circulaire N°006/MJDH/Cab du 11 septembre 2019 du Ministre de la Justice et
des Droits de l’Homme, relative à la répression des auteurs des pires formes de
travail des Enfants.
2.2. Acquis dans le domaine de la prévention du travail des enfants
Les actions entreprises par la Côte d’Ivoire pour prévenir le travail des enfants avaient
pour objectifs de sensibiliser et d’informer les populations sur les dangers du travail des
enfants afin de susciter une prise de conscience nationale et une implication individuelle
et collective dans la lutte contre le phénomène, d’éliminer les facteurs de risque et de
vulnérabilité qui exposent les enfants à la traite et à l’exploitation et d’accroître les
capacités des acteurs nationaux intervenant dans la chaine de remédiation pour une lutte
plus efficace sur le terrain.
c) 100% des coopératives certifiées de producteurs de cacao sont sensibilisées sur
l’interdiction du travail dangereux des enfants
Ce résultats a été obtenu grâce aux vastes campagnes de sensibilisation et de
communication par affichages, insertions presse et mass-médias réalisées par le
Comité National de Surveillance des actions de lutte contre la traite, l’exploitation et
le travail des enfants (CNS) à travers tout le pays, ainsi qu’aux sensibilisations de
proximités dans les communautés productrices de cacao.
Aujourd’hui, les producteurs de cacao qui s’adonnent à cette pratique le font dans les
plantations clandestines de cacao installées illégalement dans certaines forêts
classées où les mécanismes gouvernementaux de prévention et de protection des
enfants n’opèrent pas.
d) Hausse du taux de scolarisation dans la zone cacaoyère de 59% à 85% grâce à la
politique de l’école est obligatoire pour tous les enfants âgés de 6 à 16 ans
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
La Loi n°2015-635 du 17 Septembre 2015 fait obligation aux parents dont les enfants
atteignent l’âge de 6 ans de les inscrire dans un établissement scolaire. Les parents
sont tenus de s’assurer de l’assiduité scolaire de leur enfant jusqu’à l’âge de 16 ans.
Pour une application effective de cette loi, l’Etat s’est engagé à construire chaque
année des écoles, des cantines scolaires, des logements décents pour les enseignants,
sur l’ensemble du territoire national afin de permettre à chaque enfant, où qu’il se
trouve, d’avoir accès à une éducation de base gratuite et de qualité. En effet, un
enfant scolarisé est moins exposé aux risques du travail des enfants qu’un enfant non
scolarisé.
A ce titre, le taux de scolarisation des enfants vivant dans des communautés
productrices de cacao est passé de 59% à 85% entre 2008/09 et 2018/19. Cette
augmentation a été stimulée par la construction, la rénovation et l’aménagement
d’écoles maternelles, primaires et secondaires, ainsi que la mise en œuvre
d’opérations spéciales d’enregistrement de naissance qui ont permis en a plus de
700 000 élèves d’écoles primaires dont la naissance n'a pas été déclarée, de recevoir
des jugements supplétifs en 2018-2019. Leur identité légale étant établie, ils peuvent
désormais s’inscrire à l’école secondaire et poursuivre leurs études.
2.3. Acquis dans le domaine de la protection des enfants
Dans le domaine de la protection des enfants, les actions menées avaient pour objectifs
de détecter les cas de traite et d’exploitation d’enfants, de porter secours et assistance à
ces enfants, de les retirer et de leur apporter des services de prise en charges adaptés à
leurs besoins spécifiques.
e) La Côte d’Ivoire dispose de 2 systèmes opérationnels de suivi et de remédiation du
travail des enfants déployés dans la zone cacaoyère
Il s’agit d’un part du SOSTECI (Système d’Observation et de Suivi du Travail des Enfants
en Côte d’Ivoire), mis en œuvre par le Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Protection
Sociale, et d’autre part du SSRTE (Système de Suivi et de Remédiation du Travail des
Enfants), mise en œuvre par l’Industrie du cacao et du chocolat à travers la Fondation
International Cocoa Initiative (ICI).
Ces 2 mécanismes permettent non seulement d’identifier et de faire le référencement
des enfants à risque ou victimes de travail des enfants, mais également de constituer
une base de données nationale sur le phénomène.
Par ailleurs, plus de 20 000 Comités villageois de protection de l’enfant ont été mis en
place à travers toute la zone cacaoyère pour prévenir et assurer une prise en charge
d’urgence des enfants victimes au niveau local.
f) La Côte d’Ivoire dispose de 3 centres d’accueil pour la prise en charge des enfants en
situation de détresse, y compris ceux victimes de traite et d’exploitation
3 Centres d’Accueil ont été construits par la Fondation Children Of Africa, à Soubré ans
l’ouest du pays dans la zone cacaoyère, à Bouaké dans le centre du pays, zone de
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
transit de la traite d’enfants, et à Ferkessédougou, dans le Nord du pays, zone
d’entrée de la traite transfrontalière des enfants.
Ces Centres d’accueil permettent d’accroître et d’améliorer l’offre de service de prise
en charge institutionnelle des enfants victimes de traite et d’exploitation.
Ce dispositif institutionnel est renforcé par la ligne téléphonique gratuite n°116 qui
permet aux populations de signaler aux autorités compétentes et de dénoncer les cas
de violation des droits de l’enfant.
g) Le Programme d’Animation Communautaire de Protection des Enfants (ACPE)
adopté en 2016 en Conseil des Ministres est effectif dans la zone cacaoyère
Le Ministère de la Femme, de la Famille et de l’Enfants a institué dans 1150 localités à
travers le pays le programme d’animation communautaire de protection de l’enfant.
Ce programme vise les objectifs globaux suivants:
Faciliter la prise de conscience, par les membres de la Communauté, des besoins
et des droits de l’enfant et sur les questions de protection de l’enfant au sein des
communautés;
Mettre à profit les potentialités existantes dans la communauté pour la mise en
place de mécanismes locaux de protection de l’enfant.
Dans ce cadre, 690.000 personnes au sein des communautés, dont 70.000 enfants,
ont été sensibilisées sur les droits et devoirs des enfants, les besoins et la satisfaction
des besoins des enfants, les enfants à risque et les mécanismes communautaires pour
leur protection. 1150 Comités Locaux de Protection ont été mis en place par des
arrêtés préfectoraux. 1150 localités ont bénéficié de matériel pour espace de jeux
pour enfants suite à la mise à disposition de sites appropriés par les communautés.
Plus de 7000 jugements supplétifs ont été octroyés aux enfants dans le cadre du
référencement des cas auprès des services sociaux. 13 écoles communautaires ont
été construites et remise aux communautés dont 09 à San Pedro et 04 à Soubré. 700
travailleurs sociaux, 70 professionnels des médias et 30 membres du corps
préfectoraux des régions de San Pedro et Soubré ont été formés sur les droits de
l’enfant et le travail des enfants. 120 membres des Comités de Développement
Communautaires (CDCOM) et leaders communautaires ont été formés sur la
protection et le travail des enfants. 240 personnes, membres des familles d’accueil
ont été formées sur leur rôle et le droit des enfants et l’éducation par la non-violence.
h) Les enfants victimes de traite et d’exploitation ou d’autres formes de violence sont
régulièrement secourus et pris en charge par les services sociaux de l’Etat et les ONG
nationales
Plus de 27 000 enfants ont été assistés sur la période de 2017 à 2019 par les
Complexes Socio Educatifs du Ministère de la Femme, de la Famille et de l’Enfants,
pour exprimer différents besoins de protection et bénéficier de conseils. Parmi ces
27 000 enfants, 2 400 ont bénéficié d’une prise en charge, médicale, psychologique,
et d’un placement en institution ou en famille d’accueil.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Au total, de 2012 à 2019, plus de 27 412 enfants vulnérables ou victimes de traite ou
de travail des enfants ont été assistés par les services sociaux de l’Etat et les ONG
locales.
2.4. Acquis au niveau de la répression et de l’application de la loi
Un accent particulier est mis sur la répression des trafiquants à travers le renforcement
des capacités opérationnelles de la police chargée de la lutte contre le travail des enfants,
et la réalisation régulière d’opérations de police et d’enquêtes de police dans la zone
cacaoyère.
i) Les capacités opérationnelles de la Brigade spéciale de la police nationale en charge
de la lutte contre le trafic d’enfants et le travail des enfants ont été renforcées.
Il s’agit de la Sous-direction de la police criminelle chargée de la lutte contre le trafic
d’enfants et la délinquance juvénile. Cette Unité de police a été équipée par le CNS
avec 11 véhicules tout terrain, 20 motos de patrouille, du mobilier de bureau, du
matériel informatique et de communication.
Le Gouvernement a entrepris par ailleurs affecté progressivement 200 policiers
supplémentaires pour augmenter l’effectif de cette brigade. Grâce à ce renforcement
de ses capacités opérationnelles, cette unité de police réalise régulièrement des
opérations de police dans la zone cacaoyère, ainsi que des patrouilles aux frontières
en vue d’intercepter les trafiquants d’enfants et de démanteler les réseaux
clandestins de traite et d’exploitation d’enfants.
Sa dernière opération de police dénommée « BIA 3 » s’est déroulé du 9 au 11 janvier
2020 dans la zone d’Aboisso et Noé et a permis de secourir 137 enfants victimes de la
traite aux fins d’exploitation économique, sexuelle et de la main d’œuvre et d’arrêter
12 trafiquants qui ont été déférés devant les tribunaux. Au total, ce sont 320
trafiquants d’enfants qui ont été condamnés à des peines d’emprisonnement ferme
entre 2012 et 2019.
j) La Côte d’Ivoire a créé et déployé 6 nouvelles brigades de police de lutte contre le
travail des enfants dans 6 départements du pays
Le Ministre de la Sécurité et de la Protection civile a pris un arrêté qui crée 6 antennes
régionales de police de lutte contre le travail des enfants à San Pedro, Soubré, Man,
Korhogo, Bouaké et Bondoukou. Ces 6 antennes ont été équipées en véhicules tout
terrain, en motos de patrouille et en personnel afin qu’elles soient immédiatement
opérationnelles et mènent des actions de prévention et de répression sur le terrain.
L’objectif visé par cette mesure est de parvenir à un maillage plus efficace du
territoire national pour des actions de police de proximité et assurer une présence
régulière et un contrôle permanant de la police dans les zones rurales.
III. Actions prioritaires de la Côte d’Ivoire dans le domaine de la lutte contre le travail des enfants
La Côte d’Ivoire, dans l’objectif de consolider ses acquis et de garantir durablement l’élimination
du travail des enfants dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement du cacao, a lancé deux projets de
grande envergure. Il s’agit d’une part de la mise en place d’un système national unifié de
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traçabilité du cacao d’origine Côte d’Ivoire pour assurer la transparence de la chaine
d’approvisionnement, et d’autre part, de l’élaboration d’une Norme régionale africaine pour un
cacao durable en vue de garantir la certification du cacao aux normes éthiques et
environnementales.
k) Assurer la transparence de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du cacao
La transparence de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du cacao se réalisera à travers la
mise en place d’un système national unifié de traçabilité. Ce projet national est piloté
par le Gouvernement à travers le Conseil du Café-Cacao dans le cadre de l’initiative
cacao et forêt (ICF). Il comporte trois axes d’action essentiels à savoir la conception et
l’implémentation du système, l’amélioration de la cartographie de la chaine
d’approvisionnement avec principalement le recensement des producteurs et enfin, la
mise en place d’un système de suivi-évaluation. Ce projet permettra d’orienter plus
efficacement les actions de lutte contre le travail des enfants.
l) Assurer un contrôle régulier et plus efficace de l’inspection du travail dans les
plantations de cacao
Le contrôle de l’Inspection du travail dans les plantations de cacao sera renforcé par le
recrutement de 150 Agents vérificateurs du travail des enfants qui seront
exclusivement dédiés au contrôle dans les plantations de cacao.
Il convient de rappeler qu’au cours des trois premiers trimestres de l’année 2019, les
services d’Inspection du Travail ont effectué 1548 contrôles des lieux de travail. Ces
contrôles ont été réalisés pour identifier toutes les infractions qui ont été commises
sur les lieux de travail, y compris en matière de travail des enfants dans les plantations
de cacao.
m) Opérationnaliser la Norme régionale africaine pour le cacao durable
La norme régionale africaine pour le cacao durable comprend la norme SRS 1001 qui
renferme les exigences relatives au Système de Management du Producteur en tant
qu’entité, ou du Groupe de Producteurs, de la Coopérative et à la Performance. La
norme SRS 1002 quant à elle renferme les exigences relatives à la Qualité et à la
Traçabilité du Cacao, et la norme SRS 1003 renferme les exigences relatives au
Système de certification du Cacao.
A travers cette norme, la Côte d’Ivoire est résolue à produire du cacao certifié sans
travail des enfants et respectueux des normes éthiques et environnementales.
n) Renforcer le partenariat public-privé et le cadre de redevabilité en matière de lutte
contre le travail des enfants
Le Gouvernement de Côte d’Ivoire et les entreprises leaders du secteur du chocolat et
du cacao ont convenu d’un Cadre d’action conjoint, ambitieux visant à accélérer les
progrès vers une éradication du travail des enfants dans les communautés
productrices de cacao en Côte d’Ivoire. Cette nouvelle collaboration entre le secteur
privé et le secteur public mettra à l’échelle des actions et des investissements allant
de 2020 jusqu’en 2025 qui devront servir à renforcer la mise en œuvre du Plan
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d’Action National 2019-2021 de lutte contre la traite, l’exploitation et le travail des
enfants (PAN), et contribuera à la réalisation de la cible 8.7 des Objectifs de
développement durable (ODD), relatif à l’éradication du travail des enfants sous
toutes ses formes à l’échéance 2025.
IV. Point des investissements réalisés par le Gouvernement en 2019 dans le cadre de la mise en
œuvre du Plan d’Action National 2019-2021 de lutte contre la traite, l’exploitation et le travail
des enfants
En 2019, dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre du Plan d’Action National 2019-2021 de lutte contre
la traite, l’exploitation et le travail des enfants, le Gouvernement de Côte d’Ivoire a consenti des
investissements importants pour lutter contre le travail des enfants.
Le point de ces investissements au titre de l’année 2019 donne une estimation de plus de 43,4
milliards de FCFA, soit environ $24,05 millions de dollars américains
1
(USD)
Ces investissements prennent en compte les actions au niveau des programmes sociaux du
Gouvernement, les actions menées par le Comité Interministériel de lutte contre la traite,
l’exploitation et le travail des enfants (CIM), les actions menées par le Conseil du Café-Cacao, et
les actions menées par le CNS.
o) Actions au niveau des programmes sociaux du Gouvernement
En 2019, dans le cadre des programmes sociaux, le Gouvernement a investi 24,9
milliards FCFA, soit plus de $13,7 millions USD. Ces investissements ont été réalisés
principalement dans deux domaines, à savoir l’amélioration des conditions de vie des
populations et la lutte contre la pauvreté.
p) Dans le domaine de l’amélioration des conditions de vie des populations
Les investissements ont été réalisés pour la réparation et la réhabilitation de
21 000 pompes hydrauliques villageoises à motricité humaine en milieu rural.
L’objectif visé est d’améliorer l’accès des populations rurales à l’eau potable, en vue
de réduire la prévalence des maladies hydriques et l’exposition des enfants, en
particulier des filles au port et au transport fréquent de l’eau pour la consommation
des familles. En effet, cette acticité de port d’eau dans les villages qui ne disposent
pas de pompes hydrauliques, représente une des causes d’abandon scolaire des filles
en milieu rural.
q) Dans le domaine de la lutte contre la pauvreté
Pour lutter contre la pauvreté, 35 000 ménages indigents ont bénéficié en 2019 du
projet Filets sociaux productifs. Il s’agit d’une sorte de « bourse familiale »
permettant d’octroyer une allocation trimestrielle de 36 000 FCFA, soit environ $20.0
USD, aux ménages les plus pauvres de Côte d'Ivoire.
r) Actions menées par les 13 Ministères membres du CIM
1
$1 dollar américain = 554 francs CFA
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
En 2019, les 13 Ministères membres du CIM, ont collectivement investis 13, 8
milliards FCFA, soit plus de $7,6 millions USD dans la lutte contre le travail des
enfants. Ces investissements portent principalement sur l’éducation, le renforcement
des capacités opérationnelles de l’Inspection du travail et la protection des enfants.
s) Dans le domaine de l’éducation
Dans le domaine de l’éducation, les investissements cumulés des Ministères membres
du CIM ont permis de faire d’importants réalisations, dont:
La construction de 3077 salles de classes du préscolaire et primaire à travers le
pays;
La construction de 22 collèges de proximité en milieu rural à travers tout le pays;
La distribution gratuite de 1 250 000 de Manuels scolaires aux élèves du primaire
sur toute l'étendue du territoire national;
La distribution de 4 257 600 Kits scolaires du primaire sur l’ensemble du territoire
national; et
La fourniture de 3 346,378 tonnes de vivres dans 4809 cantines scolaires au
bénéfice de 878 511 élèves.
t) Dans le domaine de l’Inspection du travail
25 services de l’Inspection du travail à travers le pays ont été équipés en
véhicules tout terrain pour leur permettre de réaliser plus efficacement des
contrôles sur les lieux de travail y compris dans les plantations de cacao.
En 2019, les Inspecteurs du travail ont réalisé 2674 contrôles à travers le pays.
u) Dans le domaine de la protection des enfants
En 2019, les services sociaux de l’Etat ont permis à 119 enfants victimes de traite de
rejoindre leur pays d’origine et de retrouver leur famille. Parmi ces enfants, 25 sont
de nationalité Nigériane, 6 du Benin, 54 du Burkina Faso, 3 du Togo, 8 du Mali et 8 du
Ghana.
En plus de ces 119 enfants qui ont été ramenés à leurs familles, le Ministère de la
Femme, de la Famille et de l’Enfants a placé 19 enfants victimes de traite en
Institution de Protection de Remplacement, le temps de retrouver leurs familles
d’origine.
v) Les actions menées par le Conseil du Café-cacao
En 2019, le Conseil du Café-Cacao a investi 3 249 770 023 FCFA, soit plus de $1,8
millions USD dans la lutte contre le travail des enfants dans les régions productrices
de cacao. Ces investissements ont été réalisés dans le domaine de l’éducation, de la
santé, de l’eau potable et de la traçabilité du cacao.
w) Dans le domaine de l’éducation
La scolarisation obligatoire des enfants en Côte d’Ivoire permet de réduire leur
exposition aux risques de travail des enfants. Cette politique du Gouvernement
implique la construction d’écoles pour permettre à tous les enfants âgés de 6 à 16 ans
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
où qu’ils se trouvent d’avoir accès à l’éducation. A ce titre en 2019, le Conseil du
Café-Cacao a financé la construction de salles de classe ainsi que des fournitures
scolaires. Il s’agit entre autre de:
La construction de 42 classes primaires avec bureaux du Directeur pour un coût
de 359 956 086 FCFA, soit plus de $199,415.0 USD.
La construction de 10 cantines scolaires dans la zone cacaoyère pour un coût de
51 175 740 FCFA, soit plus de $28,351.0 USD.
La construction de 39 logements d'enseignants dans la zone cacaoyère pour un
coût de 590 617 794 FCFA, soit plus de $327,202.0 USD.
La distribution de 45 000 kits scolaires aux élèves du primaire pour un cout de
270 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $149,580.0 USD.
La distribution de 5 000 uniformes scolaires aux élèves des écoles primaires dans
la zone cacaoyère, pour un coût de 35 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $19,390.0 USD.
La fourniture de 5 000 table-bancs dans les écoles primaires dans la zone
cacaoyère, pour un coût de 200 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $110,800.0 USD.
La construction de 42 blocs de 6 latrines dans les écoles primaires construites par
le Conseil du café-cacao dans la zone cacaoyère, pour un coût de 54 600 000
FCFA, soit plus de $30,248.0 USD.
x) Dans le domaine de la santé
Dans l’objectif d’améliorer l’accès des populations rurales vivant dans la zone
cacaoyère aux soins de santé, le Conseil du Café-Cacao a construit et équi2 centres
de santé dans deux localité de la zone cacaoyère. 2 logements, dont un pour
l'Infirmier et un pour la Sages-femmes ont été également construits pour Permettre
au personnel médical d’être plus proches des populations. Le cout total de ces
investissements est de 101 113 228 FCFA, soit plus de $56,016.0 USD.
Par ailleurs, au titre de l’année 2019, le Conseil du Café-Cacao a octroyé 6 ambulances
aux communautés des zones cacaoyères pour permettre l’évacuation sanitaire des
malades vers les centres hospitaliers urbains. Ces 6 ambulances ont un coût estimé à
180 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $99,720.0 USD.
y) Dans le domaine de l’eau potable
En 2019, le Conseil du Café-Cacao a réalisé 135 forages d'eau potable dans la zone
cacaoyère, pour un coût de 819 078 075 FCFA, soit plus de $453,769.0 USD; 195
pompes hydrauliques à motricité humaine ont été construites et/ou réparées dans la
zone cacaoyère pour un coût de 493 229 100 FCFA, soit plus de $273,248.0 USD.
La construction de ces infrastructures sociales de base a pour objectif d’améliorer les
conditions de vie des populations rurales en vue de leur donner les capacités sociales
pour une protection plus efficace des enfants au sein de la communauté.
z) Dans le domaine de la traçabilité du cacao
La mise en place d’un système national de traçabilité de la chaîne
d’approvisionnement du cacao est en partie motivée par le défi de la transparence de
la chaîne d’approvisionnement. Le processus est en cours et a démarré avec la
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
réalisation d’une étude de faisabili d’un coût de 95 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de
$52,630.0 USD.
Dans cette même logique, une opération de recensement de tous les producteurs de
cacao, ainsi que de leurs plantations de cacao est en cours de réalisation en Côte
d’Ivoire. Cette opération est financée et menée par le Conseil du Café-Cacao.
aa) Actions menées par le CNS
En 2019, le CNS a investi 1 466 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $812,000.0 USD dans la
lutte contre le travail des enfants.
Les investissements du CNS ont été réalisés dans divers domaines, à savoir dans le
domaine de la sensibilisation des populations, dans le domaine du renforcement des
capacités des acteurs, dans le domaine de la protection des enfants et dans le
domaine de la répression des trafiquants d’enfants.
bb) Dans le domaine de la sensibilisation
En 2019, le CNS a lancé la 3
ème
édition de sa vaste campagne de sensibilisation et de
communication par affichages, insertions presse et mass médias sur l’ensemble du
territoire national pour un coût de 150 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $83,100.0 USD.
Cette campagne de communication a pour objectif de sensibiliser d’informer les
populations sur l’interdiction des pires formes de travail des enfants.
En 2019, le CNS a également produit et distribué plus de 8500 supports de
sensibilisation sur les travaux dangereux interdits aux enfants de moins de 18 ans aux
coopératives de producteurs de cacao, pour un coût de 25 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de
$13,850.0 USD. Ce matériel devrait permettre aux coopératives de réaliser des
sensibilisations de proximité dans les communautés dans lesquelles elles
interviennent.
cc) Dans le domaine du renforcement des capacités des acteurs
En mai 2019, le CNS a organisé à Abidjan, un séminaire de formation des
professionnels de la presse, de la communication et des médias, pour l’élaboration
d’une stratégie nationale de communication en matière de lutte contre le travail des
enfants, pour un coût de 15 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $8,310.0 USD.
Ce séminaire avait pour objectif d’élaborer une stratégie nationales de
communication permettant de sensibiliser toutes les populations vivant en Côte
d’Ivoire, qu’il s’agisse des populations urbaines, rurales, où de celles qui vivent
clandestinement dans certaines forêts classées.
dd) Dans le domaine de la protection des enfants
En décembre 2019, le CNS a mis en service le deuxième centre d’accueil pour enfants
à Bouaké, après celui de Soubré. La construction de ce centre d’accueil a é
entièrement financée par la Fondation Children Of Africa pour un coût de
1 000 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $554,000.0 USD.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
Ce centre permet de prendre en charge et de réhabiliter les enfants en détresse, y
compris ceux victimes de la traite et du travail des enfants, à travers l’éducation et la
formation professionnelle.
Par ailleurs, le CNS a contribué à l’assistance et à la prise en charge de 545 enfants
victimes de traite et d’exploitation secourus par les services sociaux de l’Etat et les
ONG locales, pour un appui financier de 10 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $5,540.0 USD.
ee) Dans le domaine de la répression des trafiquants d’enfants
En 2019, le CNS a renforcé les capacités opérationnelles de la Sous-direction de la
police criminelle chargé de la lutte contre le trafic d’enfants et la délinquance juvénile,
à travers l’équipement de cette brigade en 2 véhicules tous-terrains, matériel
informatique et de communication, fournitures et mobilier de bureau, pour un cout
de 200 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $110,800.0 USD.
Grâce à cet appui matériel, la Sous-direction de la police criminelle chargée de la lutte
contre le travail d’enfants et la délinquance juvénile à réaliser des opérations sur le
terrain qui ont permis d’appréhender et de faire condamner à des peines
d’emprisonnement fermes, 27 trafiquants par les tribunaux de justice en 2019.
Le CNS a également soutenu la réalisation d’une opération de police de lutte contre la
traite et le travail des enfants. En effet, en décembre 2019, le CNS a accordé un
financement de 15 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de $8,310.0 USD à la Sous-direction de la
police criminelle chargée de la lutte contre la traite d’enfants et la délinquance
juvénile pour la réalisation d’une opération de police dans la zone cacaoyère. Cette
opération de police dénommée « BIA 3 » s’est déroulé du 9 au 11 janvier 2020 dans la
zone d’Aboisso et Noé et a permis de secourir 137 enfants victimes de la traite aux
fins d’exploitation économique, sexuelle et de la main d’œuvre et d’arrêter 12
trafiquants qui ont été déférés devant les tribunaux.
Conclusion
La Côte d’Ivoire est résolument engagée dans la lutte contre le travail des enfants et ne ménagera aucun
effort pour parvenir progressivement à l’éradication durable et définitive de ce phénomène de la chaîne
d’approvisionnement du cacao.
A cet égard, le gouvernement, avec le soutien de ses partenaires, a régulièrement consentit des
investissements importants pour assurer la protection des enfants contre toutes les formes de violences
et d’exploitations, et promouvoir l’accès des communautés productrices de cacao aux services sociaux
de base.
A ce titre, dans le cadre des activités liées à la mise en œuvre du Protocole de Harkin-Engel, la Côte
d’Ivoire a consenti les investissements suivants:
2012-2013: 4 461 993 656 FCFA, soit plus de 2,4 millions de dollars américains;
2014-2015: 8 782 188 065 FCFA, soit plus de 4,8 millions de dollars américains;
2015-2016: 9 003 673 169 FCFA, soit plus de 4,9 millions de dollars américains;
2016 2017: 8 000 000 000 FCFA, soit plus de 4,4 millions de dollars américains; et
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE
2018-2019: 4 585 091 058 FCFA, soit plus de 2,5 millions de dollars américains.
Pour la période allant de 2019 à 2021, la Côte d’Ivoire et ses partenaires ont planifié des activités pour
un financement global de 76 milliards de FCFA soit 127 millions de dollars américains, dont 28 milliards
de FCFA déjà investis au titre du programme social du gouvernement. Cette hausse significative du
budget du Plan d’Action National 2019-2021 répond à la nécessité d’intensifier les efforts et de passer à
l’échelle, de s’attaquer aux causes profondes du travail des enfants ainsi qu’aux nouveaux défis, tels que
la traçabilité de la chaîne d’approvisionnement du cacao, la lutte contre la déforestation et la lutte
contre le travail des enfants dans certaines forêts classées.
A ce titre, en 2019, dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre du Plan d’Action National 2019-2021 de lutte
contre la traite, l’exploitation et le travail des enfants, le Gouvernement de Côte d’Ivoire a investi plus
de 43,4 milliards de FCFA, soit plus de 24,5 millions de dollars américains
1
.
Les efforts consentis par la Côte d’Ivoire lui ont permis de satisfaire aux critères d’éligibilité de pays
pionnier de l’Alliance 8.7 des Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD). Il s’agit des pays qui ont
décidé d’intensifier leurs efforts et de servir de modèle en matière de lutte contre le travail des enfants.
L’alliance 8.7 des ODD est une initiative de l’OIT qui rassemble toutes les parties intéressées pour unir
leurs forces en vue d'atteindre la cible 8.7 de l'objectif de développement durable qui a pour priorité
d'éliminer le travail des enfants sous toutes ses formes d'ici à 2025 et d'éradiquer le travail forcé,
l'esclavage moderne et la traite des êtres humains d'ici à 2030.
1
1 dollar américain = 554 francs CFA
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
INTRODUCTION
In September 2010, the Governments of Ghana, te d’Ivoire, Industry, and USDOL, in collaboration
with NGOs and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) among others, signed the Declaration, which was
witnessed by Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel and the International Labour Organization.
The purpose of signing the Protocol was to negotiate with the parties to reduce the incidence rate of
child labour and to avoid the imminent threat of boycott of cocoa products in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
by the international market, especially the U.S., due to reported predominance of child labour in
Ghana’s cocoa industry. More disturbing was the issue of trafficking of minors purposely to work on the
cocoa farms under slavery-like conditions. This was reported earlier in 2005 by ILO/IPEC in a pilot survey
to know the extent and nature of the WFCL and forced adult labour in selected cocoa producing
districts.
This Declaration formalized the new Framework, a holistic set of coordinated remediation initiatives
with the following ambitious goals:
By 2020, the WFCL as defined by ILO Convention 182 in the cocoa sectors of Côte d’Ivoire and
Ghana will be reduced by 70% in aggregate through joint efforts by key stakeholders to provide
and support remediation services for children removed from the WFCL, including education and
vocational training, protective measures to address issues of occupational safety and health
(OSH) related to cocoa production, and livelihood services for the households of children in
cocoa growing communities;
The establishment and implementation of a credible and transparent sector-wide monitoring
system across cocoa growing regions in the two countries, and
The promotion of respect for core labor standards.
In order to meet this challenge in a coordinated and transparent manner, the Framework also called for
regular public reports to be issued on progress and lessons learned.
In Ghana, there were already existing national structures and legal frameworks to guide the
implementation process, such as the National Steering Committee on Child Labour (NSSCL) with its
overarching oversight responsibility which monitored NPECLC to develop and implement appropriate
interventions to meet the aspirations and goals of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
Some of the relevant national and international instruments related to child labour, to support the
realization of the programme included the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Children’s Act 1998 (Act
560), the Human Trafficking Act, the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732), the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child, ILO Conventions 138 (Minimum Age Convention) and 182 (Worst Forms of Child
Labour), the African Union Charter on the Rights of the Child, the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), and the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE). Further to these, various
interventions were put in place since the year 2011 to date.
The protocol treaty required countries to conduct nationally representative child labour surveys,
recurring at least every five years. The 2008-2009 field survey conducted by Tulane University was
considered the baseline for the programme. The mid-term review survey was done in the year 2013-
2014 harvest season in cocoa growing areas, with a report made in 2014 by Tulane University. The final
assessment survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago in 2018-2019 is yet to be finalized.
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These surveys were to provide comparable data for ongoing assessment of child labor prevalence in the
cocoa growing areas and a commitment to make publicly available the related survey methodologies, all
raw data, and reports based on the findings of the surveys in Ghana and te d’Ivoire.
In view of the anticipated increase in the incidence of child labour, stakeholders in the cocoa sector
began a conversation to address the gaps and challenges in the child labour elimination process which
has led to an ongoing process of developing a Framework for Action (FFA) by an established public-
private partnership.
INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES SINCE 2011
NSCCL
CLU, Labour Department
District Child Protection Committees (DCPCs)
Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs)
Child Labour Desk at all Lead Agencies
Implementing Partners
Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare (MESW)
NPECLC
Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assemblies (MMDAs, Local Government Authority)
ILO
COCOBOD
District Social Welfare Office
District Labour Office
Employment Information Bureau
Ghana Statistical Service
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD)
National Development Planning Commission
Ministry of Education (MOE)
Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (District Office)
CSOs (Media, NGOs)
CCPCs
Community Data Collectors (members of the CCPCs with adequate literacy and numeracy
capacity)
National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC)
NPECLC established, designed and implemented interventions using the GCLMS to identify children in
Child Labour, those at risk among other preventive interventions to address child labour issues
holistically between the period 2006 and 2015. Some significant achievements were made. However,
the programme became dormant in 2015 due to internal challenges as a result of change of
Government. This compelled the new Sector Ministry to take steps to revamp the programme to
address the gaps and challenges identified during the implementation of the Phase I of the NPA (NPA1,
2009 -2015) and to consider emerging issues so that it could be aligned to the National Plan of Action for
the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour phase II (NPA 2, 2017-2021).
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The CLU already in existence as the secretariat to the NSCCL, was made to coordinate all activities on
child labour in the country including the cocoa sector. A Technical Working Group was constituted by
the Sector Ministry to develop Phase II of NPA2 with CLU as the secretariat and also coordinating the
activities.
Primary goals and objectives:
a. Enhancement of the knowledge base on child labour in the cocoa sub-sector to inform planning,
programme design and implementation, awareness raising and advocacy activities, monitoring
and evaluation of interventions, as well as certification and monitoring under the Harkin-Engel
Protocol.
b. Strengthening of the legal framework for dealing with WFCL in cocoa growing areas, with the
main emphasis on the enforcement of existing laws and regulations;
c. Mobilization of cocoa growing communities, district assemblies, the local cocoa industry and
other key stakeholders to work together to eliminate child labour, with a particular focus on the
WFCL, through awareness raising campaigns, networking and community participation;
d. Development and implementation of interventions for eliminating WFCL in cocoa growing areas,
with priority emphasis on the different stages of the cocoa production process;
e. Promotion of universal basic education and human resource development among cocoa growing
communities;
f. Development and implementation of interventions that reduce the need for child labour in the
cocoa sub-sector; and
g. Development of institutional, technical and organizational capacities at Central, Regional,
District and Community levels to effectively address child labour in the country, with particular
emphasis on WFCL in the cocoa sub-sector.
Through thirteen (13) action programs, various interventions were rolled out in the country to provide
services to children and families towards the achievement of the project's goals. A summary of progress
in the reporting period were as follows:
A. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2011
The Ghana Child Labour Monitoring System was launched in 2010 with the objectives to:
Obtain a comprehensive information on all children in or at risk of the WFCL;
Institute timely, adequate, sustainable and appropriate response at all levels to eliminate the
WFCL;
Secure ownership and mainstream the elimination of the WFCL into national policies and
structures; and
Support national efforts to meet its obligation under ILO Convention 182.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
Provision was made to run the GCLMS for a year on pilot basis in 2011 with funds from COCOBOD. The
Ghana COCOBOD committed a total of GHC 1,900,000.00 to NPECLC to implement its planned activities.
Programme Target
The GCLMS targeted six (6) districts and sixty (60) communities in Assin North- Assin Fosu Hohoe-
Hohoe, Asante Akyim North- Konongo, Sefwi Wiaso- Wiawso, Dormaa West- Dormaa Ahenkro, and
Suhum Kraboa Coaltar-Suhum.
Beneficiaries
The primary target beneficiaries were children between 5-17 years who are identified in child labour or
at high risk of entering into child labour. All such children in the 60 target communities were possible
beneficiaries.
Data collectors across all the 60 communities and district focal persons had been trained and resourced
with the necessary logistics to implement the GCLMS. The target communities were sensitized in
readiness for the GCLMS roll out. The collaborative support of Ghana Government and all donor
partners were a critical motivation for the success story of the GCLMS.
ILO Projects
Under the ILO CCP, PPP and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (ECOWAS I & II)
programmes, the GCLMS was also used to identify children in child labour, at risk and in the WFCL
targeting 4 districts (Wassa Amenfi West District in Western Region; Birim South and Suhum Kraboa
Coaltar Districts in Eastern Region and Twifo-Heman-Lower Denkyira District in the Central Region). The
projects’ work at the district level resulted in education and infrastructure improvements in 8
communities. District Education Offices agreed to incorporate child labor into extra-curricular activities
to do advocacy against child labor.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and a sub-committee of the National Steering
Committee (NSC) developed and launched an awareness raising campaign. Through radio broadcasts
and durbars, the campaign had, in particular, enhanced the knowledge base of the NCCE staff on child
labor and its worst forms, especially in the cocoa sector, and enabled them to play their role in
preventing child labor and increasing school enrolment and retention.
Livelihood programs were carried out in collaboration with social partners, such as the General
Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) to ameliorate OSH. A manual for agents of change in cocoa
communities in Ghana was developed by GAWU on the elimination of hazardous child labor and OSH
risks.
Outputs
The number of households benefiting from awareness raising campaigns, capacity-building and
other services through the CLMS and CAP process were 1200 households;
The number of children withdrawn or prevented from child labor as a result of the CLMS and
CAP activity were 2000 children; and
The number of children engaged in or at risk of entering child labor provided with social or
educational services were 1000 children.
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B. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2012
NPECLC’s Activities in 2012
Economic Livelihoods
NPECLC looked at improving the livelihoods of cocoa households through the additional livelihood
scheme. The target were women who normally are not farm owners but only accompany their
husbands to the farms.
Education on Child Labour through Sensitization and Awareness Raising Campaigns
NPECLC embarked on sensitization and awareness raising campaigns in the farming communities to
bring the farmers to the realization of the menace of child labour on the children.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies including police, immigration, customs, fire service, etc. were sensitized on
the need to help strengthen the laws that protect children by enforcing its implementation on the
citizenry.
Capacity Building for Institutions on Child Labour
All relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies including CSOs and NGOs and the media (print and
electronic) were trained on the concepts of child labour and the need to combat it.
Labour Saving Techniques to Improve Farming
NPECLC’s objective was to reduce much human involvement by introducing labour saving tools. In
collaboration with the Cocoa Research Institute, a pruner was developed and piloted to be revised
before mass production for use by farmers.
NPECLC, through the National Partners Forum (NPF) organized three (3) times yearly, effectively
coordinated the efforts of key partners which allowed for the sharing of best practices and approaches
towards the elimination of child labour. This resulted in partnerssubmission of quarterly reports to the
NPECLC on the elimination child labour in the cocoa sector.
Major activities that took place in 2012 were concentrated on the following:
Development and implementation of interventions for eliminating WFCL in cocoa growing areas,
with priority emphasis on the different stages of the cocoa production process;
Promotion of universal basic education and human resource development among cocoa growing
communities;
Development and implementation of interventions that reduce the need for child labour in the
cocoa sub-sector; and
Development of institutional, technical and organizational capacities at central, regional, district
and community levels to effectively address child labour in the country, with particular emphasis
on WFCL in the cocoa sub-sector.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
Good practices
The encouragement of communities to develop CAPs led to more communities initiating self-
help projects.
The involvement of the community, promoted community ownership of all programmes.
Information sharing with partners helped to consolidate all partner-base interventions who
reported on activities periodically.
C. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENT IN 2013
In 2013, NPECLC completed the pilot phase of the GCLMS in five (5) cocoa growing districts and twenty-
five (25) cocoa growing communities. NPECLC convened a partners meeting to discuss the results of this
pilot phase and finalized a report on the piloting of the GCLMS.
Under the Ghana’s NPA1, the GCLMS
had been designed to harmonize previous CLMS initiatives in the country by establishing one central
CLMS.
Prior to initiating the pilot phase, the Government of Ghana established a sub-committee of the
NSCCL to oversee the implementation of the GCLMS framework and strategy.
The GCLMS was successfully implemented in 5 out of the planned 6 districts and covered 5 communities
per district. The actual data collection exercise lasted about 6 months, and a total of 3,512 households
were registered. A total of 12,499 individuals were registered in the 3,512 households. The distribution
indicates that 46% of the total number of persons registered was children who are aged between 5 and
17 years. There were more female children than male children in households in most of the districts.
Quick summary of major findings (A GCLMS report is available for further details.)
Total number of households registered: 3,512
Total number of persons registered (within 3,512): 12,499
Total number of children (5-17 years) registered (out of 12,499): 5,741
Total number of children at risk/suspected child labourers: 2,949
Total number of children not at risk/suspected child labourers: 2,792 21
Number of children at risk/child labour-monitored (out of 2,949): 561
Child labourers-general (out of 561): 419
Children not in child labour (out of 561):142
WFCL (hazardous) (out of 419): 299
WFCL (unconditional) (out of 419):
Child labour (non-hazardous) (out of 419): 120
Total children referred for support (470+2,388): 2,858
At the community level, implementation of the GCLMS was guided by the DCPCs, made up of technical
and implementation teams. The DCPCs played the oversight role on community data collectors and
established CCPCs.
Community sensitization was conducted in all thirty (30) selected communities. Prior to the start of the
pilot, NPECLC pre-tested data collection tools and carried out training on the GCLMS at the national,
district, and community levels. NPECLC also developed a database for the GCLMS and trained district
focal persons and data entry staff to use the software. NPECLC’s efforts to roll-out and implement the
GCLMS also benefited from the support of projects funded by Ferrero, Mars, Mondelēz, and USDOL.
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D. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENT IN 2014
In 2014, the piloted GCLMS which identified two thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight children
(2,858), supported 1,811 out of 2,858 children, and assessed the needs of the 1,047 remaining children
to be supported by the end of the year. Tools I & II were merged following recommendations by the
pilot to make it less expensive and less cumbersome and also to save time. NPECLC was re-launched to
renew the activities of the Programme to continue from where it left off after the GCLMS was
successfully piloted in 2012. A GCLMS trainers' manual was developed for the use by all Implementing
Partners.
Collaboration
NPECLC collaborated with ILO projects that were running at the time to implement the GCLMS began in
sixty-two (62) communities in six (6) districts. Over four thousand, three hundred children (4,300)
children were identified, monitored and given support. Parents of beneficiary children were also
provided with additional livelihood support ventures and petty trading opportunities to enhance their
economic situation.
Also, NPECLC in collaboration with the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication (GIFEC)
established ICT centers in nine selected communities with one hundred (100) computers donated by
GIFEC.
The Industry-funded projects aligned with the Framework also had notable accomplishments during the
year. Mars created child protection committees (CPCs) and developed Community Development Plans
in fifty-seven (57) communities. Fererro established community learning centers at local schools.
Mondelez Cocoa Life supported families with livelihood programmes to improve on their standard of
living and constructed school blocks in communities among others.
Tulane conducted a nationally representative child labor surveys during the 2013-2014 harvest season
in partnership with local researchers from the ENSEA in te d'Ivoire and the Institute of Statistical,
Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, and in consultation with the
Governments of te d'Ivoire and Ghana. Tulane's activities during the review period focused primarily
on the completion of the survey questionnaires, data collection, and data analysis. During December
2014, Tulane presented its preliminary findings at consultative meetings held in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana
and received feedback from stakeholders. Tulane subsequently took additional steps to address the
feedback provided during these meetings, as well as to address issues related to data collection
identified during further checks of the survey data.
Awareness Raising and Social Mobilization
The project continued to raise awareness of CCPCs, community members, and beneficiaries on child
labor and education by using videos, t-shirts, posters, information vans, community radios programs,
and drama/role play by SCREAM clubs and community members. Parents, teachers, community leaders
and children now appreciate the importance of education and the negative consequences of child labor
on the child.
The project supported a media launch at the International Press Centre with journalists, government
dignitaries, and social partners in attendance. It also supported various activities to mark the World Day
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Against Child Labour across all target districts. Support included district/community soccer matches, art
and quiz competitions, and drama skits.
The project instituted a 'Red Card to Child Labour' campaign using soccer in all target districts as a yearly
Event.
With GNAT and Education International, the project trained teachers in modern methods of teaching as
well as in their roles and responsibilities in the elimination and monitoring of child labor. Three (3)
districts throughout the life of the project benefitted from these trainings.
Targeted national and sub-national level partners were mobilized to continue social mobilization
activities after the close of project. Partners included the National Commission for Education,
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, the Ghana Education Services (GES), the
Ministries of Labour and Social Welfare, Directorate of Agricultural Extension Services (DAES) of the
Ministry of food and Agriculture (MoFA), National Board for Small Scale Industry (NBSSI), Community
Development and Cooperative Departments, Social Partners (GAWU, Ghana Employers’ Association
(GEA) and Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), DCPCs, CCPCs, Chiefs, teachers, parents, and
the forty-one (41) SCREAM Clubs set up by the Project in collaboration with GES.
E. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENT IN 2015
COCOBOD initiated three key interventions to complement the Government of Ghana’s efforts at
reducing WFCL in cocoa during the 2014-2015 season. The interventions were essential backstops to
reinforce the foundation established through the sensitization campaigns and helped elicit farmer
cooperation to implement programs designed to address the main triggers of child labor.
The projects’ main goals included:
Continuous sensitization and education on the WFCL which was a major part of the curriculum
of COCOBOD Extension Manual. This manual was used for training Extension staff as well as
sensitizing farmers at the community level on the worst from of child labor.
Providing basic school infrastructure, including kindergarten, in deprived cocoa communities to
help enhance basic education delivery.
Motivating the youth to appreciate the economic benefits of cocoa and develop professional
careers in cocoa farming to improve their livelihoods.
COCOBOD Child Education Support Program: Project Summary
A principal focus of COCOBOD’s child education support program was to provide basic school
infrastructure in deprived cocoa communities where children commute long distances to access the
nearest schools. Siting of schools in deprived cocoa communities stimulated interest and encouraged
children to remain in the classrooms while parents attended to their cocoa farms. The direct
beneficiaries of the program included children/wards of cocoa farmers and local residents.
COCOBOD completed the site selection, obtained authorization from the local authority in beneficiary
communities, and secured approval from the Public Procurement Authority to award the contracts for
Phase I. As part of its commitment towards eliminating the WFCL, COCOBOD committed funds annually
towards building more schools to expand the infrastructure base in some selected cocoa deprived
communities in Ghana.
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F. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2016
COCOBOD continued to fund the construction of primary schools’ and cocoa roads network
improvements in 2016. The projects constituted COCOBOD’s contribution to complement the
Government of Ghana’s efforts at improving livelihoods in cocoa communities and reducing WFCL in
cocoa. The interventions aimed at improving child access to schools particularly in deprived
communities and enhanced farmer access to markets to sell other farm produce.
Construction of seven (7) of the approved 14 school buildings commenced during the year 2015-2016 in
some of the communities and the buildings were in various stages of completion.
Public education in cocoa communities about WFCL through extension farmer contacts and farmer
rallies intensified. Child labour education at farmer’s meetings had been a part of the cocoa extension
curriculum. Providing basic schools infrastructure, including kindergarten, in deprived communities and
motivating the youth to appreciate the economic benefits of cocoa remained essential socioeconomic
goals. COCOBOD engaged the youth to develop professional careers in cocoa farming to improve their
livelihoods.
Starting with 2,000 young men and women in 2014, the Youth-In-Cocoa program membership rose to
14,000 young farmers actively cultivating 17,000 hectares of land in 2015. The membership at the end
of the 2015-2016 year was 46,091, made up of 33,546 males and 17,906 females, with 138,307.28
hectares under cultivation.
The child education support program aimed at providing a conducive learning environment that can
sustain the interest of children to attend and remain in the classroom. The program was an additional
support to cocoa farmers, their families, and local dwellers by offering:
Fee-free basic education to develop academic competencies in children and create
opportunities for children who lack access to schools within reasonable distance;
Schools attendance in deprived cocoa communities increased, and help prevent child idleness
and vulnerability to engage in worst forms of child labour;
Avenues for farmers with toddlers to enroll them in schools so that the farmers can concentrate
on the farm work to increase productivity;
Conducive learning environments and office accommodations for head teachers to promote
effective supervision of teaching and learning; and
Portable water for the schools and communities to ease the burden of children travelling long
distances for water interrupting school attendance.
G. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2017
Report of the Ghana Living Standards Survey Round 6, and national policy objectives and strategies for
child development under the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDA) II, 2014-2017
were consistent with the Child and Family Welfare Policy and the National Employment Policy, as well as
international frameworks such as the Regional Action Plan (RAP) on child labour and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG).
Findings according to the 2008-2009 Tulane University survey indicated that the population of children
in the cocoa sector was 2,160,877, out of which 947, 777 were involved in economic activities classified
as child labour. This represented 43.9%. Furthermore, in 2013-2014 out of the population of 2,236,124
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children, some 918,543, representing 41.1%, were involved in child labour within the cocoa production
process based on which the NPECLC II goal was framed as below:
The overall goal of the proposed second phase of NPECLC II was to reduce the WFCL in cocoa production
sub-sector to a minimum of ≤ 20% by 2020.
Though the second phase of the NPECLC could not be operationalized, issues on child labour were
generally addressed by the CLU, and COCOBOD dealt specifically with the cocoa sector.
The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations’s (MELR) NSCCL/CLU continued to provide the overall
coordination of all child labour intervention, including coordination of resource mobilization activities
within the framework of NPA2, 2017 2021. The NSCCL and its Sub-Committees responsible for direct
action played the supervisory role to provide the necessary focus for the interventions of the child
labour elimination process.
Monitoring
In line with the NSCCL’s role to monitor and periodically review and evaluate the implementation of
child labour projects/programmes, ICI supported the NSCCL and its Secretariat to carry out a monitoring
exercise in seven (7) project districts, of which three (3) were in the cocoa sector: Adansi South, Assin
South and Birim South in the cocoa sector in Ghana. The aim was to ascertain the impact of child
labour interventions in the afore-mentioned districts with the view to strategizing for future project
planning and development to improve on performance with the lessons learnt from the project
experience as a guide. These districts included three cocoa growing districts.
Overall Objective
Observe and verify the impact, progress of implementation of programmes and
sustainability/ownership by the MMDAs.
Monitor and coordinate the progress made or otherwise of child labour intervention projects
undertaken by implementing agencies in the various communities and districts with the aim to
restore the dignity of the victims, protect the rights of all children and ensure value for money.
Specific Objectives
Obtain field information on quality of support given to beneficiaries during project
implementation.
Verify the impact and status of support to beneficiary children and parents.
Verify the level of ownership and the possibility of sustainability.
Assess the impact of the intervention by private sector and NGOs/Civil Society.
Identify the challenges that will come up during the monitoring.
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The team found out that bill boards, baking/soap centers, and corn mill machines that were
constructed during the ILO CCP project, 2011 - 2014, were still visible and functioning.
Farmer groups and parents of beneficiary children in ICI project districts interact with the monitoring team.
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Findings of the Monitoring Exercise
1. Generally it was observed that child labour is reducing because sensitization by Implementing
Agencies had gone down well.
2. Child protection structures at the local levels are a clear signal of sustainability if they are
sufficiently funded to play their roles.
3. There was a positive correlation between the School Feeding Programme and high rate of
enrollment.
4. There was a positive correlation between the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)
and high rate of enrollment.
Recommendations Made During the Monitoring
1. There is the need for Government to scale-up the School Feeding Programme and the LEAP
support in child labour endemic communities.
2. There is the need for stakeholders to push for the success of the ongoing free Senior High School
(SHS) and the operation vanguard programmes to continue.
3. MMDAs should be encouraged to provide counterpart funding by supporting the DCPCs to play
their roles well to facilitate sustainability.
4. New innovations introduced and implemented by the Adansi North District Assembly should be
replicated in other districts to reduce child labour.
5. Implementing agencies (IAs) should make sure that MMDAs are involves in the project’s
implementation and not only the focal persons.
6. IAs should submit copies of their reports to MMDAs.
7. Sustainability and exit plans should be drawn and accepted by both the IAs and MMDAs.
8. The challenges faced by farmers and parents in the marketing of their produce should be
addressed to avoid frustration.
9. Government should take steps to provide basic amenities such as health facilities, boreholes and
schools to facilitate quick and timely access by children.
Summary of Activities by COCOBOD
COCOBOD was in the forefront of providing a conducive learning environment that can sustain the
interest of children to attend and remain in the classroom. The programme was an additional support
to cocoa farmers, their families, and local dwellers. It included:
Fee-free basic education to develop academic competences in children and create opportunities
for children who lack access to schools within a reasonable distance;
Schools provided in deprived cocoa communities increased school attendance, and helped
prevent child idleness and vulnerability to engage in the WFCL;
Avenues for farmers with toddlers to enroll them in schools so that the farmers can concentrate
on the farm work to increase productivity;
Conducive learning environments and office accommodations for head teachers to promote
effective supervision of teaching and learning; and,
Portable water for the schools and communities to ease the burden of children travelling long
distances for water interrupting school attendance.
COCOBOD was optimistic that its program of support for basic education is consistent with
Government’s policy to offer Ghanaian children fee-free education up to senior secondary level. Fee-
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free education will provide an equal opportunity for all children to access quality basic education to
complete high school.
Some of the key activities of the Youth-In-Cocoa program included:
Assisting the young cocoa farmers to achieve and sustain farm productivity at 1000kg/hector;
Training the young farmers, currently numbering 52,472 and later additions, to become the next
generation of cocoa farmers capable of delivering a sustainable supply of cocoa; and
Using the Youth-In-Cocoa initiative to fix the existing gap in cocoa sector labour supply and
address the menace of the WFCL in cocoa.
First Ladies Conference
The Conference of the First Ladies of West Africa and the Sahel on the Theme ''Child Protection: What is
the contribution of the first Ladies in the fight against child abuse, child trafficking, exploitation and
child labour in West Africa and the Sahel'' was held in Abidjan, Côte d'lvoire from 14 to 18 October
2017.
The meeting witnessed the participation of the First Ladies, Ministers and Experts from Benin, Burkina
Faso, Cape-Verde, Côte d'lvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, Chad and Togo. Representatives and Experts of Organizations of
the United Nations System and Development Partners also took part in this high-level meeting.
The overall objective of the conference was to encourage the involvement of the First Ladies in the
Protection of Children, and particularly in the fight against child abuse, child trafficking and child labour.
The conference discussed the role of the First Ladies in the fight against child abuse, child trafficking,
exploitation and child labour in West Africa and the Sahel. These were developed into a declaration and
signed by all the First Ladies present at the conference.
First Ladies of West Africa and the Sahel
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Global Conference
Ghana participated in the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour that was
hosted by Argentina, with technical assistance from the ILO, from 14
th
to 16
th
November, 2017 in Buenos
Aires to provide an opportunity for governments, social partners and civil society to reflect on the
progress made by various countries since the last global conference and to discuss ways to step up
global efforts against child labour. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls
for the elimination of child labour by 2025 (Target 8.7).
The Conference also sought to within the framework of the SDGs, address different topics related to
child labour, forced labour and youth employment with the aim of identifying different scenarios and
conditions leading, in addition to the elimination of child labour by 2025 and to the elimination of forced
labour by 2030 in line with target 8.7.
The main outcome of the conference was the adoption of the Buenos Aires Declaration and pledges by
various countries to achieve the elimination of the WFCL in line with the SDGs. The declaration and the
pledges were to guide nations, worker’s and employer’s organizations and civil society in the
implementation of actions against child labour and forced labour.
Issues presented by the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations of Ghana
The Minister in answering the question on what the main drivers of child labour in the rural economy
was presented the following:
Two thirds of Africa’s population live and work in rural areas, which occupy huge land surfaces.
Agriculture represents 65% of jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in the rural areas.
Rural areas have been undervalued by governments, international development lenders and
policy advisers.
Per capita food production has barely grown over the last 5 decades.
Agriculture represents only 17% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP.
Rural Economies productivity is low and even declining.
Over 60% of rural people live in extreme poverty.
Many flee to the cities creating high rates of unemployed informal workforce.
It’s largely informal (about 90%).
It’s basically agrarian and uniquely the backbone of the economy.
There is limited access to credit facilities.
It’s basically without social protection.
There are high Decent Work deficits.
There is a high prevalence of child labour.
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Minister for Employment and Labour Relations of Ghana presenting
at IV Global Conference
H. SUMMARY OF ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2018
The NPA2 for Ghana was approved by the Cabinet under the leadership of the Minister of Employment
and Labour Relations in February 2018. The time frame for the implementation of NPA2 is from 2017 to
2021.
The NPA2 underscores the government’s commitment to pursue the elimination of the WFCL and
consolidates the gains made under NPA1 by reinforcing the linkages between the various child
development policies and provides a vehicle for the continued enforcement of relevant laws. The
implementation of this NPA2 is driven by the Government, with the support of other stakeholders such
as Government Agencies, the Social Partners, CSOs, including the Media, NGOs and Religious Groups,
the private sector (industry) and development partners.
The MELR, through the NSCCL, is responsible for the overall coordination and supervision of the NPA2.
The CLU of the Labour Department will work closely with all partners in all sectors, and provide technical
support to the various partners to ensure an effective and coordinated implementation of the
interventions.
A successful implementation of NPA2 would spur the country towards achieving the SDGs, particularly
Target 8.7 on child labour elimination, for which there is a global engagement “Alliance 8.7.”
To start its implementation, NPA2 was launched at Okonam, a suburb of Suhum Municipality. The
choice of the venue was informed by the fact that Parents and residents of the place had been well
sensitized to send their children to school through series of programmes on anti-child labour
programmes that had been organized there and thus had reduced the incidence rate of child labour to
the barest minimum in the community.
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1. Development of an implementation plan for the roll out of NPA2:
The NPA2 is a cross-sectoral intervention strategy designed to guide institutional actions for the
elimination of child labour, particularly the worst forms. A road map for the roll out of the plan
was one of the first things necessary to direct the implementation of NPA2.
The purpose of the implementation plan was as outlined below:
1. The implementation plan is the generic road map detailing steps or actions needed to
translate intentions or objectives into measurable outcomes.
2. It sets the programme of work.
3. It precedes annualized work plans of agencies.
4. It sets out clear responsibilities and areas of collaboration.
5. It provides the frame of reference and facilitates monitoring and evaluation.
2. National Launch of NPA2
The development of the NPA2 was structured to consolidate the gains made under NPA1 to
replicate the good practices and lessons learnt over the years. The NPA2 was launched and
presented to sensitize the general public to be aware of the strategy. After the launch, copies
were made and disseminated to partners.
Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dep. Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, the Child
Labour Ambassador and other Dignitaries launching the NPA2.
Other documents developed were the Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ) assessment tool. A
National Stakeholders’ Dialogue was organized in Kumasi on the creation of CLFZs for
participants to make inputs into the zero draft criteria for the assessment of communities
towards CLFZs developed by the Technical Working Group. The exercise is ongoing.
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Stakeholders’ consultation on CLFZ in Ghana
3. The Celebration of The World Day Against Child Labour 2018
The 2018 WDACL was marked under the global theme “GENERATION SAFE AND HEALTHY.
Ghana domesticated it to reflect the prevailing conditions in the country and thus rephrased it
to read: RESIST CHILD LABOUR!! IMPROVE THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF YOUNG WORKERS
TOWARDS ACHIEVING SDG GOAL 8.
The event was to create awareness and sensitize the populace on the harmful effects of child
labour on the child, the family, the community and the nation at large. It added the nation’s
voice to the global movement that sought to improve the safety and health of young workers to
end child labour. The event helped to mobilize support for the implementation of NPA2 from all
stakeholders in the fight against child.
Public awareness and strengthening social protection,
advocacy for improved policy programming and
implementation of child development interventions through
commemoration of the WDACL in trafficking and in fishing
communities in Cape Coast, Central Region.
A total number of adults and
children sensitized on child
labour issues during the
commemorations of WDACL
was about 29,961 at the
national and local levels.
Dignitaries at the World Day Against Child Labour 2018
This was preceeded by a media lunch in Accra and a school quiz competition among selected
schools in the Central Region.
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4. Monitoring
The NSCCL mandated to coordinate all child labour interventions in the country periodically
monitors interventions and projects being implemented by partners in the fight against child
labour. From the 26th August to 1st September, 2018, some members of the NSCCL carried out
a monitoring exercise on the “Mobilizing Community Action and Promoting Opportunities for
Youth in Ghana’s Cocoa-Growing Communities (MOCA) project. The exercise was carried out in
4 districts -- Atwima Mponua and Atwima Nwabiagya in the Ashanti Region and Sefwi Wiawso
and Wasa Amenfi West in the Western Region.
MOCA was a four-year (2015-2019) USDOL-funded project that sought to make substantial
progress towards reducing the incidence of child and hazardous labour in Ghana. Winrock
International and its implementing partner, Community Development Consult Network
(CODESULT), in collaboration with Ghanaian government Ministries and Departments and
players in the cocoa industry implemented the project in two regions of Ghana, Ashanti and
Western.
The project was implemented in 40 communities; 10 communities per district with the following
objectives:
Increase in prioritization of child labor by community and external stakeholders;
Increase acceptable work opportunities among beneficiary youth 15-17 years of age;
Increase knowledge and skills of beneficiary youth to improve employability; and
Increase income in beneficiary households.
Findings on Monitoring
All communities visited had developed and had in place approved CAPs to address child
labour and hazardous child labour in their respective communities and the
implementation of the CAPs was supported by the MOCA in-kind grants in line with the
project design.
MOCA organized district level quarterly stakeholders’ meetings to share progress of the
project implementation and solicit for their buy-in.
CAP Committees, CCPCs, teachers and other community leadership have been trained
on child labour, hazardous child labour, OSH, RM, advocacy, lobbying, etc. to equip
them with the necessary skills to support the communities in the project
implementation.
Skills trainings through COVET and Model Farm Schools (MFS) were on-going in all
communities visited using Master Craft Persons (MCPs).
Alternative livelihoods/income generating activities have been introduced to HH
women beneficiaries in the communities.
Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) groups have been formed and running in
the communities to provide access to income for group members.
Implementation Challenges and Recommendations
Some implementation challenges identified which needed urgent attention to ensure that the
full benefit of the project was realized were as follows:
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It was discovered that there were delays in the supply of training kits and consumables
to the MCPs for the training and this was a common challenge in all the communities. It
was therefore recommended to the MOCA Team to commence the procurement
process well ahead of time and even deliver all materials to the MCPs before the
training commences.
Another challenge that came out was that the six (6) month duration was short for the
training and even worse as the training kits and consumables were delayed. It came to
light that almost all the beneficiaries who have passed in the first phase communities
were either still with their MCPs or moved to other MCPs to continue their training. It
was recommended to the MOCA Team to discuss with the financiers and experts in the
various trade areas for possibility of revising the training curricula and the training
duration for better outcomes.
5. Review of the GCLMS
In 2010, Ghana instituted the GCLMS as a means of monitoring child labour issues in the
country. The GCLMS is a holistic and dynamic process for reducing the WFCL and other forms.
It demanded the establishment of national, regional, district and community structures to serve
as an interface for the protection and identification of victims of child labour, as well as delivery
of services to identified vulnerable households and children at all levels.
The GCLMS was piloted by the government in six (6) districts in 25 communities under NPECLC.
The final pilot report identified some challenges and made some recommendations for a review
to include the tools and the processes. Since then, both international and national organizations
have used either the same or other methods, or a mixture, in their respective project areas to
address child labour in the country and have identified some issues that need urgent redress.
The review of the GCLMS was therefore imperative due to various reasons arising out of the
pilot and implementation (challenges and changing approaches) of tackling child labour.
Consequently, action 1.1.7.1 of NPA2 required the MELR to review the GCLMS and to harmonize
it with all other monitoring and remediation systems being used by both public and private
sector actors, with the view to making the system responsive to national needs, as well as the
institutional objectives, to ensure the full utilization of the system by all stakeholders to protect
children from all forms of child labour and abuse.
6. Establishing CLFZ in Ghana Towards Achieving Target 8.7 of the SDGs
The CLFZ concept is based on provisions in the NPA2 (2017-2021) towards achieving Target 8.7
of the global SDGs. The NPA2 notes the possibility of having some communities where child
labour interventions have made significant impact and believes CLFZs may not be far-fetched.
However, to achieve this, Ghana started the process of developing Protocols and Guidelines to
facilitate the assessment of the CLFZs in 2018.
7. Development of Protocols and Guidelines for creating CLFZs
The MELR, with support from Action against Child Exploitation (ACE), have collaborated to
develop the protocols and guidelines for assessing CLFZ in Ghana. There has been series of
consultations with stakeholders at different levels to make inputs into the development of the
manual.
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The Government would have the sole mandate and be accountable to the declaration of any
area in Ghana as a CLFZ. All other stakeholders act as collaborating partners, without the right
to by themselves declare any area in the country as a CLFZ.
The purpose for establishing CLFZs is to strengthen government effort to uphold the
constitutional provision on the fundamental Rights of Children in Ghana to be protected from
work that constitutes a threat to their health, education, and development. It is also to enhance
national efforts to achieve the SDGs, especially relevant targets under Goals 5, 8, 10 and 16.
8. Activities of COCOBOD
CHILD LABOUR
PROGRAMMES
UNDERTAKEN BY
COCOBOD (CHED) IN
2018 PROGRAMME
ACTIVITY
REGION
NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS
NUMBER OF
COMMUNITIES
January December
2018
Sensitization and
awareness
raising
rallies, group
meetings, and
home visits
Western South, Western
North, Ashanti, Brong
Ahafo, Eastern, Volta,
and Central
333,059
14,019
July 2018
International
conference
Participated in the 8th
Annual Meeting of the
CLCCG
Abidjan-Côte
d’Ivoire
3
October 2018
Stakeholders
meeting
Participation in NORC
(University of Chicago)/
Kanter Public review of
Child Labour
questionnaire for survey
Accra-Greater
Accra
November 2018
Stakeholders
meeting
Participated in a
national stakeholder
dialogue on the creation
of CLFZs in Ghana
Kumasi, Ash.
1
9. OTHER PARTNERS CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS THE ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR (Ministry
of Gender, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Chieftaincy, Ghana Education Service,
ICI, World Vision Ghana, International Needs Ghana, Challenging Heights and others)
Number
Target Group
Number of Beneficiaries
1
Concepts of child labour
Best farmer practices
Law enforcement
Operationalization of shelters
and the 4 Ps
CCPC
Child Dignity Clubs
Farmer Business
Schools
Border Security
National Service
Personnel
11,459
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strategy for fishing sector
Child labor and trafficking
issues, standard operational
procedures and referral
mechanism
Community savings and loans
Understanding market
strategies, financial literacy,
crop farming and livestock
Facilitators and
School Management
Committee
Enumerators and
Supervisors
2
reation
Parents, school children and
c
ommunity members
108,388
3
Community members
16,930
4
Media personnel at the various
levels
50,000
5
Child victims
2,933
6
Child victims
876
7
Withdrawn/rescued children
571
8
Perpetrators
20
I. SUMMARY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2019
1. NSCCL MEETINGS
The Ministry in its coordination role through the CLU of the Labour Department organized four
NSCCL meetings in 2019. These meetings discussed among other things the following:
Discussed the CLU’s performance for 2018 and its Work Plan for 2019;
Discussed reports of member agencies and organizations on their 2018 performance and
proposed activities for 2019. Institutions that shared their reports included the ICI, ILO,
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), International
Organisation for Migration (IOM), Ministries, Social Partners, National Development
Planning Commission (NDPC), and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
(CHRAJ);
Discussed reports by and validated work plans of the three Sub-Committees on their
activities for the 2020 financial year;
Validated and approved the draft Protocols and Guidelines for the establishment of CLFZ;
Discussed a presentation by Child Rights International on the implementation of the GCLMS
in the cocoa sector;
Discussed and approved the revised the Reporting Template for partners to present their
annual reports; and
Discussed of the three sub-committees of the NSCCL.
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2. COMMEMORATION OF THE 2019 WDACL
The 2019 WDACL was commemorated in Ghana under the theme, “CONSOLIDATING EFFORTS:
CHILDREN MUST WORK ON DREAMS NOT IN FIELDS. The overall objective for the
commemoration was to sensitize the general public towards the reduction of the incidence rate
of child labour in all forms in the country by 10% by 2025 in line with provisions of the SDG 8.7.
The Specific Objectives were:
To add the nation’s voice to the global movement by drawing attention of the media to take
up the challenge and announce to the Ghanaian populace, the pending event on the theme
with a media launch.
To involve children in the campaign against child labour by organizing quiz competition
among cluster of schools in the communities.
To create awareness and sensitize the general populace on the harmful effect of child labour
through the involvement of the communities.
Activities that marked the commemoration included:
a. Media launch: The purpose of this activity was to engage the media on the theme for the
celebration sensitise and charge them to sensitise the general public on the day, its purpose
and activities to mark the day.
b. Discussions on TV, radio and print media: Aside the media launch, selected members of the
NSC and other partners discusses the day and its relevance and activities on various media
platforms.
c. Quiz competition for school children: As part of creating awareness among children
themselves and sensitising them, a quiz competition was organised for selected basic
schools in the Effiduasi Sekyere East District in the Ashanti Regions. The questions bordered
on concepts, national and international regulations, consequences on child labour, as well as
roles and responsibilities of parents and children and other partners in the fight against child
labour.
d. National Durbar: The occasion was climaxed with a durbar in the Nkwakwanua community
(cocoa community) in the Effiduasi Sekyere East District.
Participants at 2019 WDACL Media Launch and contestants at the school quiz
Outputs of 2019 WDACL
About 30 media houses were sensitized on the issues of child labour and the theme for the
celebration to help them report appropriately. Almost all the media house made stories on
child labour and the theme with six media house inviting the NSCCL for discussions at the
National level and several others at the local level.
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There was a statement of the floor of Parliament to sensitize the house and to get them to buy-
in to facilitate their approval for allocation of funds for child labour activities.
The entire community of about 3,000 people were mobilized and sensitized on child labour
issues.
The 2019 WDACL event was sponsored by Government of Ghana through the MELR, COCOBOD,
ILO, WCF, ICI, Mondelez Cocoa Life International (Right to Play), Child Rights International,
World Vision International, Verite, and the Ghana National Association of Teachers.
3. DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS AND GUIDELINES FOR ESTABLISHING CLFZS
Issue I.4.1 of the NPA2 specifically required the development of Protocols and Guideline (P&G)
for the establishment of CLFZs as per point four of the expected outcomes under Strategic
Objective 1 of the NPA2.
Accordingly, a series of consultative meetings by the MELR through the CLU, Labour Department
informed the government to set up a team under the Sub-Committee on Policy Planning,
Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of the NSCCL with technical support from ILO,
GAWU of the Trade Unions Congress, Ghana and ACE (with funding from ACE) to develop the
Protocol and Guidelines manual for establishing CLFZs.
The main objective was to strengthen government’s effort to uphold the constitutional provision
on the fundamental Right of Children in Ghana to be protected from work that constitutes a
threat to their health, education and development. To enhance national gains towards
achieving the SDGs, especially relevant Targets under Goals 5, 8, 10, and 16.
The P&G was developed, validated and approved by the NSC; it was launched at Kwabenakwa in
the Atwima mponuah District of the Ashanti Region. Again, with support from ACE, 2,000 copies
of the document were printed, and a dissemination workshop was organized where all partners
were brought on board and the document presented to them.
Validation of the CLFZ Protocols and Guidelines
Launch of CLFZ Protocols and Guidelines
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4. THE REVIEW OF THE GCLMS
The GCLMS was established and piloted under the implementation of the NPECLC. The review
of the pilot of NPECLC identified some challenges that needed redress to ensure effectiveness of
the system. This was identified as one of the key actions to in the NPA2. The Ministry, through
the CLU, began processes to review GCLMS in 2019. The objective of the review was to facilitate
the harmonization of systems, produce cost effective and efficient tools for data collection and
analyses for the country.
Issues considered under the review process were as follows:
The standardization and linkages of the GCLMS to the Common Targeting Mechanism
operated by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection;
Funding processes for implementation of GCLMS;
Balancing the data management and the administrative component;
The use of the Ghana National Household Registry’s (GNHR) Community Register as the
basis for compilation of Community Registers, which is the basic tool for the identification of
child labourers in the communities or any other tools for identifying the children.
The need to use the Social Service Sub-Committee in place of the DCPCs, since the DCPCs
are not backed by law.
The Regional Coordination Councils (RCC) involvement in the child labour elimination
process (should not only receive reports from the Districts) since they play a very crucial role
under NPA2.
The use of volunteers from the CCPCs for the compilation of Community Registers in places
not yet covered by the GNHR.
The use of the Integrated Area Based Approach.
The present state of the review:
The Sub-Committee responsible for the review of the GCLMS has made valuable inputs, pending
the presentation to the NSCCL for validation and approval. The software of the system is also
being upgraded.
5. TRAINING OF LABOUR INSPECTORS ON EFFECTIVE INSPECTIONS IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR
It was observed that due to some challenges faced by Labour Inspectors over the years,
establishment inspections conducted by Inspectors have concentrated on the formal sector
only. This made it impossible for them to identify child labour issues, which are mostly
prevalent in the informal sector. Some of the challenges include inadequate resources, lack of
mobility, inadequate capacity and skills etc. As a result and with financial support from UNICEF,
a training was organized for selected Labour Inspectors on how to increase inspections in the
informal sector.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
Labour Inspectors/Officers at training workshop and participants in the field inspecting
the informal sector during training
Specific objectives of the training were:
To build the capacity of Labour Inspectors and encourage them to carry out inspections in
the informal sector.
To brief Labour Officers on NPA2 as a tool to help them enter into the informal sector as a
mandatory role.
Introduce Labour Officers to procedures to follow on how to enter the informal sector to
identify child labour cases and address them accordingly.
Assist Labour Officers to make informed decisions about what to do about the emerging
social protection issues and take appropriate action.
Recognize the need to document and report appropriately to the Headquarters after
inspection exercises.
After the training, 20 Labour Officers/Inspectors were supported financially to carry out child
labour specific inspections in the cocoa, mining and fishing sectors in the Ashanti, Western and
Volta regions of the country. About 160 inspections were conducted, and 33 children were
identified to be in child labour. So far, 10 of them have been referred to the Department of
Social Welfare in the Western Region.
6. DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGY FOR CELEBRITY MEDIA CAMPAIGN ON CHILD LABOUR
The Ministry, in its efforts to intensify awareness raising, sensitisation and advocacy on child
labour, resolved to engage celebrities/public personalities in its awareness raising activities
dubbed theMedia Campaign on Child Labour.A task force was set up to team up with the
Sub-Committee on Resource Mobilization, Advocacy to develop a campaign strategy for the
Media Campaign that would spread out throughout the year.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
The strategy was developed and discussed with the Minister who made his inputs, and some
celebrities were contacted and video shots on their views on child labour have been taken. This
will go through the various social media platforms to educate the general public. A lot more
celebrities and some public personalities had also indicated their interest and readiness to talk
about child labour; however, due to COVID 19, we have not been able to make physical contacts
for more video shots.
7. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP
The cocoa sector and its stakeholders (government, COCOBOD, cocoa and chocolate companies,
UNICEF, and ILO) recognized the need to intensify efforts in eliminating child labour in the
country, especially after the Harkin-Engel Protocol lapses. Accordingly, two workshops were
organized in September and October, 2019, with support from ICI under the auspices of the
MELR to deliberate on the gabs in the fight against child labour and what needs to be done.
During the workshops, stakeholders committed firmly to establish a new Public-Private
Partnership dubbed “Children First in Cocoa” to contribute and mobilize resources, knowledge
and necessary partnerships and actions aimed at improving the lives of children living in cocoa-
growing regions of Ghana, with the aim of eliminating child labour by 2025 SDG deadline.
At the workshops, stakeholders agreed to issue a statement of intent (SOI) and accompany it
with a FFA. Four main pinllars were identified as crucial elements for the FFA: adequate
standard of living, child protection, quality education, and health. As a result, a National
Working Group was constituted to draft a statement of intent for the FFA that will define
priority actions and other matters that may be necessary.
8. TRAFFICKING - HUMAN TRAFFICKING SECRETARIAT Ministry of Gender, Children and Social
Protection (MOGCSP)
The Human Trafficking Secretariat in 2019 intensified its advocacy through community dialogues
and trainings. The implementation of the Human Trafficking National Plan of Action led to a
comprehensive and coordinated approach leading to a number of achievements.
Twenty-eight [28] community engagements and durbars were organized reaching over 5,600
community members, chiefs and opinion leaders on issues of child trafficking, child abuse, child
exploitation and gender-based violence. The World Day against Human Trafficking was
commemorated and communities sensitized on the dangers associated with child labor.
Government released an amount of ¢1,000,000 into the Human Trafficking Fund to improve the
fight against human trafficking.
To improve coordination, the Human Trafficking Management Board met as expected to ensure
issues of trafficking and child exploitation are tackled including the exploitation of children on
the Volta Lake. This helped in a monitoring exercise to communities along the Volta Lake to
increase awareness raising campaigns and sensitization on the dangers associated with child
exploitation.
The Human Trafficking Secretariat has staff strength of 16, including a clinical psychologist,
shelter manageresses, and administrative and support staff.
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The Secretariat works closely with the law enforcement agencies, Attorney Generals Department,
Ministries, department and agencies, and MMDAs. This is done at the national, regional and
district level structures of such institutions.
The Human Trafficking Secretariat coordinates all issues to prevent, protect, prosecute and
partner to end human trafficking in Ghana.
Due to the efforts made in the fight against human trafficking in terms of rescue, rehabilitation,
reintegration, prosecutions and increased advocacy in terms of prevention efforts Ghana is on a
tier two rating on the US DOL tier ranking report.
Victims of Human Trafficking from 2017 to 2019
Year
Total
Victims
Type of Victim
Sex of Victims
Type of
Exploitation
Nationality
Adult
Child
Males
Females
Labour
Sex
Ghanaian
Other
Nationality
2017
583
219
364
237
346
542
41
539
44
2018
332
252
80
203
129
283
49
269
62
2019
611
411
200
197
414
112
35
276
335
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)
LEAP is government of Ghana’s cash transfer programme. The programme seeks to reduce
vulnerability among the extreme poor in thereby limited the chances engaging their children in
labour as a coping strategy for the economic hardship. In 2019, 407,620 households benefited
from the LEAP. This is a nationwide programme but not limited to cocoa growing areas only.
Education
All-inclusive education policies
The Government has over the past decade embarked on programmes in the education sector
that seeks to not get all children of school going age into school. These measures include the
underlisted aim at operationalising the FCUBE Policy, which is a Constitutional right of every
Ghanaian child:
Capitation Grant (increased from GH₵4.50 to GH₵9.00 in the 2017/2018 Academic Year).
School Feeding Programme covering about 50% of all public basic schools (from basic one to
basic 6).
Payment of examination fees for Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates.
Free Uniforms and Exercise Books to selected schools and pupils.
Free SHS for all qualified children. Since the introduction of the policy in the 2017/2018
academic year, about 270,000 students who hitherto would not have attended SHS.
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
COCOBOD CHILD-EDUCATION SUPPORT /
ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMME
Crop Year
Number of
Students/Children
Type of
Interventions
Geographical
Location of
Interventions
Locations of
Interventions
in Cocoa
Growing Areas
Total
Expenditure
(US$)
2016/17
5,500.00
SCHOLARSHIP
All 7 cocoa growing regions and
districts (10 political regions)
1,781,079.21
2017/18
1,800.00
SCHOLARSHIP
531,869.07
2018/19
3,000.00
SCHOLARSHIP
672,046.87
TOTAL
2,984,995.15
COCOA PRODUCTIVITY ENHANCEMENT PROGRGAMMES
(MASS SPRAYING)
Crop Year
Number of
Adult
Labourers
Areas of
Coverage
(ha)
Areas of
Coverage in
Cocoa
Growing
Areas (ha)
Volumes of
Chemicals for
Mass Spraying
(litres)
Total
Expenditure
(US$)
2009/10
53,242
2,185,255.00
2,185,255.00
2,097,036.00
191,402.50
2010/11
54,563
2,122,824.00
2,122,824.00
2,115,939.00
8,459,473.50
2011/12
55,844
2,212,200.00
2,212,200.00
1,959,289.00
10,797,667.97
2012/13
56,991
2,494,273.00
2,494,273.00
2,080,183.00
6,546,625.04
2013/14
56,991
1,407,010.31
1,407,010.31
736,992.00
6,132,125.39
2014/15
56,991
1,703,862.60
1,703,862.60
892,824.00
4,361,314.94
2015/16
56,991
2,898,691.68
2,898,691.68
1,239,562.00
5,154,713.41
2016/17
58,791
2,575,805.00
2,575,805.00
1,114,716.00
4,666,625.00
2017/18
58,791
2,073,881.68
2,073,881.68
1,086,714.00
14,950,355.56
2018/19
58,791
2,100,171.76
2,100,171.76
2,200,980.00
8,307,622.45
TOTAL
567,986
15,524,235.00
69,567,925.76
Source:
CODAPEC
Unit
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REPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF GHANA
CONCLUSION
As stated in the NPA, “The Government of Ghana considers the elimination of the Worst Forms of Child
Labour a priority for the enhancement of the living standards of its people and for sustainable
development. Article 28(2) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana provides that “every child
has the right to be protected from engaging in work that constitutes a threat to his/her health, education
or development. For this reason, the government is determined to eliminate the WFCL and allow every
child born in Ghana to benefit from its free education scheme.
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
In September 2010, as a signatory to the Declaration, the USDOL voluntarily committed $10 million to combat
child labor in the production of cocoa in te d’Ivoire and Ghana. Since that time, USDOL has funded six
projects, under the Declaration and its accompanying Framework, focused on addressing child labor in cocoa
production in these two countries, totaling $24.4 million. USDOL has also funded an additional five projects,
which included components addressing child labor in cocoa production in te dIvoire and Ghana, totaling $17
million. USDOL has three projects currently active.
The USDOL-funded projects have embodied the spirit and intent of the Declaration and Framework, working
closely with governments, companies, trade unions, and communities to address child labor in cocoa growing
areas. Among their accomplishments, the USDOL-funded projects have provided educational services to more
than 26,000 children engaged in or at risk of child labor in cocoa and livelihood services to approximately 8,200
of their households. These projects have also worked closely with the Governments of Côte dIvoire and Ghana,
assisting in the adoption of laws, policies, and national action plans on child labor at the national level; the
inclusion of budget lines on child labor elimination at the district level; and the development and piloting of
government-run CLMS. In addition, USDOL has funded projects that have implemented two nationally-
representative surveys in the cocoa growing areas of te d’Ivoire and Ghana, raised awareness on child labor in
cocoa growing communities, and empowered communities to address child labor locally through the
development and implementation of CAPs. USDOL-funded projects have also assisted companies in developing
codes of conduct and training government officials, company representatives, trade unionists, and other civil
society stakeholders on how to identify forced labor in the cocoa sector.
Projects under Declaration focused on cocoa sector
Project Name
Towards Child Labor Free Cocoa Growing
Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana through
an Integrated Area Based Approach (Cocoa
Communities Project, CCP)
Funding Partner
USDOL, Bureau of International Labor Affairs
(ILAB)
Implementing Partner(s) ILO
Funding Amount USD $10 Million
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire / Ghana
Period of Implementation December 2010 March 2015
Summary
In 2010, USDOL voluntarily committed $10 million over four years to the ILO to implement the regional CCP
project. This project sought to contribute to the national initiatives to combat the WFCL in cocoa producing
areas in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The CCP had five immediate objectives that underpinned the overall strategy
to combat the WFCL in the cocoa sector:
Increase the understanding of child labor and develop and implement action plans to eliminate child
labor in project communities;
Improve access to relevant quality education, including appropriate complementary or alternative
opportunities for boys and girls who are out of school;
Enhance sustainable livelihoods for families in project communities;
Increase national capacity to deploy an appropriate CLMS framework to measure progress towards the
elimination of child labor through and integrated area based approach; and
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Increase the technical and institutional capacity of ILO constituents and partner organizations to
contribute to the implementation of National Plans of Action and interventions to combat child labor in
cocoa growing communities.
The CCP project withdrew or prevented 5,403 children from engaging in hazardous and exploitative labor in the
cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana by providing education and/or vocational skills training to them.
Some 2,200 families in cocoa growing areas also received livelihood services. In addition, the project worked
with cocoa growing communities to develop CAPs to sustainably reduce child labor and assisted the
Government of Côte d’Ivoire in developing and piloting its child labor moitoring system le Système
d’Observation et de Suivi du Travail des enfants en Côte dIvoire (SOSTECI).
Lessons Learned and Good Practices
It is beneficial to budget time and resources for colaboration with communities, partners, and other
stakeholders at the initial stages of project formulation and implementation. It is better to spend time
planning the project with the partners than relying on ad hoc planning and simply introducing the
project to target districts and communities.
Linking awareness raising with social mobilization yields attitudinal change and responsible behavior.
Coupling awareness raising with CAPs is necessary to yield real action against child labor.
Promoting the incorporation of CAPs into district/municipal planning processes is important for
sustainability. A good practice was to encourage District Assemblies and Prefectures to mainstream
CAPs into district level operations.
Improving the quality of education improves access and outcomes of schooling.
Community members should be treated as partners and not just as beneficiaries.
The criteria for benefiting from the project needs to be made clear: a beneficiary is a child who is
engaged in child labor or at risk of falling into child labor, or his/her family/caregiver. Care must be
taken to ensure that project beneficiaries meet this qualification.
Child participation in the implementation of the CCP project has shown results in the target areas and
was effective in dealing with child labor. Children actively participated in awareness raising and social
mobilization activities using various media.
Capacity building is much more effective when it is practical and field-oriented, rather than through
repeated trainings or workshops.
Changes in government administration can affect project delivery downstream.
Project Name
Survey Research on Child Labor in West African
Cocoa-Growing Areas
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) Tulane University
Funding Amount USD $1.9 Million
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire / Ghana
Period of Implementation September 2012 December 2016
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Summary
In 2012, USDOL awarded a grant to Tulane University’s Payson Center for International Development to conduct
research on the prevalence of child labor in cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The Tulane project
had two main objectives:
Improve information to assess progress towards reducing the WFCL by 70 percent in the aggregate in
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana; and
Assist in increasing the capacity of the national statistical offices of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to collect
nationally-representative data on the WFCL in agricultural production in cocoa growing areas.
The Tulane project aimed to develop an aggregate, representative estimate of children working in cocoa in both
countries to measure progress in significantly reducing the WFCL in the cocoa sector. The project first
developed population estimates for the prevalence of children working in the WFCL in agriculture, including the
cocoa sector, in the cocoa growing areas of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana based on data from Tulane University’s
survey in 20082009. Tulane then conducted research activities, collecting nationally representative survey
data on child labor in the cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana during the 20132014 harvest season.
The project published its survey report, which assessed the prevalence of, and measured changes in, estimates
of working children, children in child labor, and children in hazardous work in the West African cocoa sector
between the 20082009 and the 20132014 cocoa harvest seasons.
Figures in Tulane’s report, 2013/14 Survey Research on Child Labor in West African Cocoa Growing Areas,
indicated that in 2013-2014, 2.26 million children were working in cocoa production, 2.12 million children were
working in child labor in cocoa production, and 2.03 million children were working in hazardous work in cocoa
production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana combined. The percentages of children in agricultural households in each
of these categories also rose between the two survey years: 19 percent for children working in cocoa, 16
percent for child laborers in cocoa, and 13 percent for children in hazardous work in cocoa.
1
Tulane’s report also determined that access to education had improved from the 20082009 harvest season
with more children working in cocoa production attending school in both countries. In Côte d’Ivoire, 71 percent
of children working in cocoa production attended school in 20132014, compared with just 59 percent in 2008
2009; in Ghana, 96 percent attended school in 20132014 compared with 91 percent in 20082009.
2
The
percentage of children in school in all agricultural households in the cocoa growing areas also increased in both
countries.
In addition to conducting survey research, the Tulane project developed and provided training and other
capacity building support to national survey bodies in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in order to promote their ability
to carry out similar surveys in the future. The project also worked with government officials to develop
comprehensive manuals on survey design for the cocoa sector, as well as detailed methodologies and tools for
data collection and analysis. Capacity building efforts culminated in a detailed sustainability paper, Child Labor
and Data Collection in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana: A Plan for Sustainability, addressing questions associated with
future collection of child labor data as well as the sustainability of training and other project activities.
1
Tulane University, Payson Center for International Development. 2013/14 Survey Research on Child Labor in West African
Cocoa Growing Areas. p. 44. July 30, 2015. Available at
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/research_file_attachment/Tulane%20University%20-
%20Survey%20Research%20Cocoa%20Sector%20-%2030%20July%202015.pdf.
2
Id., p. 79.
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The implementation of the Tulane project underscored the importance of engagement and direct interaction
with government stakeholders to move project activities and overall objectives forward. Stakeholder
involvement and support is essential to building relationships and gaining local acceptance. As part of this
process, time in country and face-to-face interactions are critical to effectively engaging local government
groups and other local stakeholders.
Published Report
For more information on Tulane’s findings, see 2013/14 Survey Research on Child Labor in West African Cocoa
Growing Areas.
Project Name Eliminating Child Labor in Cocoa (ECLIC)
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI)
Funding Amount USD $4.5 Million
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire
Period of Implementation November 2015 November 2019
Summary
In 2015, USDOL provided $4.5 million to the ICI to implement the four-year ECLIC project in Côte d’Ivoire. The
ECLIC project’s primary objective was to reduce child labor in 50 cocoa growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire.
The project had three strategic objectives:
Objective 1: 50 cocoa-growing communities have developed and implemented CAPs to address child
labor at the community level.
Objective 2: Cocoa-growing communities are aware of and understand key issues related to child labor.
Objective 3: Children engaged in or at high risk of child labor have access to educational opportunities.
ECLIC worked to attain its primary objective by increasing community mobilization in the fight against child
labor, increasing the income of households with children engaged in or at risk of child labor, and improving
access to quality education opportunities for children engaged in or at risk of child labor.
The project resulted in a significant increase in the number of children receiving education and vocational
training services in the target communities. In particular, ECLIC facilitated the direct provision of education
services to 4,621 children engaged in or at high risk of entering child labor. In addition, a total of 1,547
households received livelihoods services in order to augment household income. Of those households, 63
percent reported a perceived increase in income as a result of provision of livelihood services. ECLIC also
succeeded in empowering communities through community action planning and the creation of CCPCs. The
project supported 50 community-level committees to develop and implement CAPs, visit households and farms
to collect data on child laborers and those at risk, and refer child protection cases to the appropriate authorities.
By the end of the project, 32 CCPCs had obtained official recognition from the prefectural authorities, and
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
applications were filed for the remainder, thereby institutionalizing a sustainable community mobilization
against WFCL in cocoa.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The ECLIC project generated several lessons learned.
The project ran into implementation difficulties due to its geographical scope being widely dispersed,
with difficult-to-access localities. The communities could have been supported more efficiently and
effectively if they were closer together.
The ECLIC project highlighted a need for careful consideration of the challenges of working in
encampments, including integrated analyses of each specific encampment. Encampments are informal
settlements adjacent to cocoa growing sites, which lack basic social, health, and other services. Such
encampments may also be in or very near to protected forest areas where the inhabitants grow cocoa
illegally. About two-thirds of the project communities were in areas labeled as encampments; two
project-supported encampments were fully located within a protected forest, while one additional
community was partially located within the boundaries of the classified forest. A study conducted by
the project reported that the appropriate programming varied greatly according to the individual
situation in each encampment. Much depended on the level of deforestation, distance and road
quality, size of the encampment community, and other factors.
Ensuring that CCPCs are directly anchored in functioning local social protection, child protection, and
national CLMS is key to ensuring sustainability.
The project also exhibited several promising practices. Among them, the project demonstrated the importance
of flexibility to find solutions to changing implementing environments at the community and national levels.
Secondly, the project demonstrated the importance of persistence when seeking to raise awareness about child
labor, especially in cases where efforts encountered initial resistance. Involving traditional leaders, CCPCs, field
staff, and senior project staff proved useful in this regard. Such efforts are particularly effective when
accompanied by the allocation of visible resources to support communities in meeting their needs.
Project Name
Mobilizing Community Action and Promoting
Opportunities for Youth (MOCA)
Funding Partner USDOL, Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Implementing Partner(s) Winrock International
Funding Amount USD $4.5 Million
Target Country(ies) Ghana
Period of Implementation November 2015 November 2019
Summary
In 2015, USDOL awarded $4.5 million to Winrock International to implement the MOCA project in Ghana. The
MOCA project’s primary objective was to address child labor in cocoa-growing areas of Ghana. The project had
four strategic objectives:
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Objective 1: Cocoa-growing communities design and implement CAPs to address child labor at
community level.
Objective 2: At-risk youth possess skills and education directly related to labor market needs.
Objective 3: Youth of legal working age transition to acceptable work.
Objective 4: Households are provided with livelihood services and OSH training.
The MOCA project sought to reduce incidences of child and hazardous labor in 40 cocoa growing communities
through increasing engagement on child labor issues by community and external stakeholders; increasing
acceptable, non-hazardous work opportunities among beneficiary youth 15-17 years of age; improving the
employability of youth through increased knowledge, attitudes, and skills; and increasing income in beneficiary
households.
MOCA succeeded in facilitating the development of CAPs by grassroots CAP Committees. MOCA provided in-
kind grants of up to $10,000 to each community to implement its CAP to address child labor. The CAP
Committees played the leading role in consulting community members, orchestrating the investment of in-kind
grants, and carrying out community sensitization activities. MOCA grants were utilized to achieve a range of
priority community needs, such as for school desks, school computer labs, mechanized water boreholes, grain
mills, and implementing community sensitization and awareness sessions.
MOCA provided education services to 2,806 youth in six-month community-based vocational education and
training (CVET) and agriculture-based vocational training, delivered by local skilled MCPs and MFS facilitators.
By the end of the project, 66 percent of youth trained were participating in formal jobs, internships, or
apprenticeships, or were in self-employment.
Among the most successful and sustainable interventions of the MOCA project was the women’s VSLA model
implemented by Winrock in the communities. The VSLAs brought economic empowerment to 1,970 women
from project-supported households and other community members as well. The VSLAs created savings and
income sources for their members to defray education and business costs, resulting in the women’s ability to
diversity their livelihoods including into cocoa seedling production and a range of non-agricultural activities.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The project generated several lessons learned. One lesson learned by the project is the importance of offering a
more diverse range of vocational skills for youth geared toward both existing and emerging market demands.
Another lesson learned is that vocational training interventions should be sensitive to societal issues concerning
gender in order to find creative solutions to increase gender equity among beneficiaries of trainings. In
addition, the project demonstrated that the CVET model for youth delivered by local MCPs is viable provided
that MCPs are provided with training fees and intensive support for quality control.
An important promising practice of the MOCA project was the VSLA model, which was widely viewed as an
effective vehicle for women’s economic resilience and empowerment. Another promising practice was MOCA’s
close engagement with district level governments, which improved the quality of technical support and helped
to sustain interventions.
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Project Name
Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labor in
Cocoa Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
(Cocoa Research)
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) NORC at the University of Chicago
Funding Amount USD $3.5 Million
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana
Period of Implementation December 2015 November 2021 (Active)
Summary
The 2010 Framework called for the implementation of nationally representative child labor surveys every five
years to assess progress in addressing child labor in the sector.
In fiscal year 2015, ILAB provided funding to NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct a survey on child
labor prevalence in the cocoa-growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The results of this survey, which took
place during the cocoa harvest of 20182019, will be used to assess progress toward meeting a target of
reducing by 70 percent the WFCL in cocoa production across both countries. Progress toward this goal will be
assessed against the results of a baseline survey conducted in 20082009.
In addition to the survey, NORC will assess the relative effectiveness of efforts to reduce child labor in cocoa
production and develop a data visualization/mapping tool to inform future efforts to address the problem.
Specifically, this six-year project will produce the following outputs:
Mapping/Analytical Platform: The project will identify and collect geographical and program information
relating to interventions that have taken place since the signing of the Declaration to address child labor in
cocoa-growing areas of Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and present this information in an interactive, web-based
platform.
Assessment of effectiveness: The project will evaluate the relative effectiveness of interventions to address
child labor in the cocoa sectors of te d’Ivoire and Ghana, and progress towards achievement of the goals
and targets of the Declaration and Framework. The assessment will be based on (1) information and data
collected and catalogued in the mapping platform, (2) qualitative data collected via interviews and focus
group discussions in cocoa-growing areas, and (3) quantitative data from nationally representative surveys
of child labor in the two countries (20072008, 20082009, 20132014, and 20182019).
Sectorally-representative survey: The project conducted a survey of child labor in cocoa-growing areas of
Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana during the 20182019 harvest seasons. It will develop population estimates for the
prevalence of working children, child labor, and the WFCL (using hazardous labor as a proxy for the WFCL).
The project will use the estimates to measure percentage changes in the prevalence compared to previous
estimates.
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REPORT FOR THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Summary of Activities
Collected geographical and program information relating to interventions that have taken place since the
signing of the Declaration to address child labor in cocoa growing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, and
presented this information in an interactive, web-based platform.
Concluded the main quantitative data collection (survey) of child labor in cocoa-growing areas of Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana during the 20182019 harvest season in March/April 2019. The survey results will be
used to develop population estimates for the prevalence of working children, child labor, and the WFCL.
Conducted assessment of the relative effectiveness of these interventions based on (1) information and
data collected and catalogued in the mapping platform, (2) qualitative data collected via interviews and
focus group discussions, and (3) quantitative data from the national representative survey of child labor in
the two countries.
Completed the draft report, “Assessing Progress in Reducing Child Labor in Cocoa Production in Cocoa
Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana” (the Report), in January 2020. The report consists of two parts:
(1) quantitative survey findings and (2) NORC’s assessment of the relative effectiveness of efforts funded by
public and private sector actors to prevent and reduce child labor in the cocoa sector.
Hosted consultation workshops in July 2019 (Accra and Abidjan), January 2020 (Abidjan), and May 2020
(virtual) with CLCCG members and technical experts to review preliminary survey findings and the draft
report.
Next Steps
In July 2020, to address concerns raised by the Governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana on research
methodologies and survey results, USDOL offered to support an independent review by an external Experts
Group (EG) to review key methodological issues. The ILO is serving as the custodian to the EG process and
has coordinated the review process.
Following the conclusion of the EG’s work, NORC will be expected to take the EG’s assessment and
recommendations into consideration in finalizing its Report.
Project Name
Adwuma Pa: Empowering Women and Girls in
Supply Chains
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) CARE
Funding Amount USD $5 Million
Target Country(ies) Ghana
Period of Implementation November 2018 November 2022 (Active)
Summary
In 2018, ILAB awarded $5 million to CARE to implement the Adwuma Pa project to reduce the risk of child labor,
forced labor, and other violations of labor rights for vulnerable women and girls working within Ghana’s cocoa
supply chain. Adwuma Pa has two outcomes:
Outcome 1: Improved economic participation of women and girls vulnerable to child labor, forced labor,
and other violations of labor rights within the cocoa supply chain in Ghana.
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Outcome 2: Improved business practices by private sector actors to protect against child labor, forced
labor, and other violations of labor rights for vulnerable women and girls working within the cocoa
supply chain in Ghana.
The project targets 5,000 vulnerable women and adolescent girls (2,500 women and 2,500 girls aged 15 to17) in
80 cocoa-producing communities across four districts in Ghana and is working with men and boys within the
cocoa-growing communities to facilitate a change in local behavioral norms against women’s economic
engagement.
In order to achieve its objectives, key activities of the project include increasing women and girls’ understanding
of their labor rights; enhancing technical and business skills; and increasing opportunities for advancement
through peer and business networking. The Adwuma Pa project is also designing a labor monitoring and
mitigation system to protect against child labor and forced labor and elevating community recognition for
protecting against child labor and forced labor in a national awareness-raising media campaign. In addition, the
project is conducting Gender, Equity, and Diversity (GED) training for private sector actors.
The project has made progress toward achieving its goals. Upon successful entry and mobilization of all 80
communities, the project facilitated the formation and training of grassroots Community Development
Committees (CDCs) in order to spearhead project implementation in their respective communities and promote
sustainable community development interventions. The project has also conducted an analysis of existing
structures affecting vulnerable women and girls within the cocoa supply chain in Ghana, reviewing OLAM
Ghana’s Suppliers Code, Code of Conduct, Child Labor Policy, and Fair Employment Policy to assess their clauses
concerning child labor, forced labor, discrimination, and sexual harassment in the workplace. Finally, the project
has begun engagement with District and Municipal Gender and Child Protection Committees.
Next Steps
The outbreak of the pandemic in Ghana has resulted in the suspension of all public gatherings, meetings, and
workshops in Ghana. This means that until such restrictions on public activities are lifted, all community and
field-related activities have been stalled.
Projects including a component Supporting Declaration
Project Name
Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor in
West Africa by Strengthening Sub-Regional
Cooperation Through ECOWAS (ECOWAS I and II)
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) ILO
Funding Amount (Côte d’Ivoire & Ghana)
USD $7.4 Million (ECOWAS I)
USD $2.2 Million (ECOWAS II)
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire / Ghana
Period of Implementation
September 2009 April 2014 (ECOWAS I)
December 2010 April 2014 (ECOWAS II)
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Summary
In 2009, USDOL awarded $7.95 million to the ILO to implement the West Africa Regional ECOWAS I project in
te d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria, and in 2010, USDOL granted the ILO an additional $5 million to implement a
second phase of the project (ECOWAS II), adding Benin. Approximately $7.4 million of the ECOWAS I funding
went towards work in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, as did approximately $2.2 million of ECOWAS II funding. The
purpose of the two projects was to support national efforts to eliminate the WFCL and to mobilize sub-regional
policy makers to improve cooperation to eliminate the WFCL among all 15 member States of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS). For the purposes of this report, only project achievements in
te d’Ivoire and Ghana will be discussed.
Some 13,362 children were withdrawn or prevented from engaging in WFCL in the cocoa sector in the two
countries under ECOWAS I and II. These projects also provided livelihood services to 2,500 families with
children at risk of WFCL, implementing referral, reintegration, and rehabilitation services for both targeted
children and their families. One example of livelihood support activities under ECOWAS II was the transfer of
corn mills to eight communities as a means of generating income.
ECOWAS I and II worked with the Government of Ghana to monitor and remediate cases of child labor through
the GCLMS with the assistance of CCPCs. Remediation included the expansion of the government school
feeding program, independent registration of children in the National Health Insurance Scheme, and increased
coverage of the LEAP program, which included a government sponsored one-year post-basic training in
vocational skills for young people. In Côte d’Ivoire, ECOWAS I and II assisted the government in piloting its CLMS
(SOSTECI) in five districts.
ECOWAS I also succeeded in facilitating progress by the governments on child labor issues. In Ghana, the
project assisted district authorities in mainstreaming action against child labor into their local government plans,
budgets, and monitoring and evaluation frameworks. ECOWAS I also provided technical support and advocacy
for the adoption in October 2010 of a National Plan of Action in order to generate a framework of the country’s
NSCCL, the ratification of ILO Convention 138 by the Ghanaian parliament in 2011, and the passage of the
Commission on Human Rights. In addition, the ECOWAS I project also provided technical assistance to the
Government of Côte d’Ivoire for the adoption into law of the prohibition of child trafficking and WFCL in
September 2010 and the revision of the List of Hazardous Work in January 2012. The projects also had an
important impact on the national culture regarding child labor issues by successfully raising awareness in the
two countries on the fight against child labor.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The ECOWAS I and II projects demonstrated several good practices in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which should be
considered for replicability and scalability.
Community ownership of solutions to child labor is critical. Adoption and implementation of CAPs increased
community involvement and ownership, allowing them to mobilize their own resources and other support
to implement actions for the development of their communities.
CCPCs are effective in sustaining action against child labor at the local level, by contributing to the
identification, monitoring, and prevention and withdrawal of children from child labor, and necessary
remediation efforts for these children.
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It is important to work with local government authorities to promote inclusion of funding for child labor
elimination activities in local budgets.
Linking child labor to government labor force surveys is an emerging best practice for data collection.
Signing and rolling out codes of conduct for the elimination of child labor by employers and workers’
organizations in the cocoa sector are effective strategies to ensure accountability of social partners in
addressing the WFCL.
The establishment of women’s cooperatives in some project communities allowed mothers to make
provisions for the costs associated with their children’s education and keep them in school.
The establishment of sharecroppers’ unions allowed social dialogue between producers and their adult
workers, the improvement of working conditions, and better compliance with international labor
standards. (Côte d’Ivoire)
ECOWAS I and II also generated some important lessons learned.
The Ministries of Education in Côte dIvoire and Ghana need to ensure adequate school facilities and teachers
for the number of children of school-going age and expand school-feeding programs. Special attention
should also be given to attendance and retention of children in school, not just enrollment.
The data-collection component of GCLMS would be more effective if managed at the district level rather than
the national level. (Ghana)
Grassroots efforts to withdraw children from the WFCL need to be encouraged at the community level
for the purposes of sustainability and scalability without continuous external support.
It is important to generate linkages with domestic CSOs, such as cooperatives and trade unions, in order
to improve project sustainability as local CSOs are capable of carrying on the work of combating the
WFCL even in the absence of donor funding.
Effective efforts to withdraw children from child labor requires a breadth of development actions in
resource-challenged environments. In the case of ECOWAS I, project services had to expand over time
to include important psycho-social services to children, services toward procuring birth certificates for
children who lacked paperwork, and the tracing and contacting of families.
More income-generating activities should be established in communities so as to enable them to sustain their
initiatives against child labor.
Children of legal working age need access to training opportunities, including on occupational safety and
health (OSH).
Project Name
Country Level Engagement and Assistance to
Reduce (CLEAR) Child Labor
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) ILO
Funding Amount (Côte d’Ivoire Component) USD $221,239
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire
Period of Implementation (Côte d’Ivoire
Component)
March 2016 January 2019
Summary
In 2013, USDOL awarded $7.7 million to the ILO for a global project to build the capacity of governments to
reduce child labor in at least 10 countries. In 2015, the CLEAR project initiated operations in Côte d’Ivoire with a
budget of $221,239.
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The overall objective of the CLEAR project was to increase the capacity of target countries to reduce child labor
through improved legal or regulatory instruments, law enforcement, and policy; implementation of National
Action Plans on child labor; and implementation and/or integration of child labor into national and local policies
and social programs. In Côte d’Ivoire, the focus was on enhancing the capacity of the government to implement
the country’s CLMS (SOSTECI) and ensure its sustainability. In order to achieve this objective, CLEAR utilized
good practices and lessons learned from the ECOWAS I and II and CCP projects, existing assessments of SOSTECI
and other CLMS operating in the country, and new information collected from key national stakeholders.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the SOSTECI was refined and piloted with success. The process included revising procedures
and tools, implementing the tools in three communities, and developing a sustainable public and private
(partnership) funding mechanism. The public-private sector collaboration demonstrated its effectiveness in two
key ways: (1) by strengthening the collaboration of the cocoa enterprises within the multi-sectoral CLMS and (2)
by supporting sustainable funding of the CLMS. In particular, the project supported dialogue between the
government and the cocoa private sector in order to produce a coordination framework for funding the SOSTECI
model across the country.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
The public-private partnership proved to be a promising emergent practice. By assisting public-private sector
collaboration to create a sustainable funding framework for child labor monitoring, the funding mechanism
represents an innovation in Côte d’Ivoire, which could be applicable to public-private sector cost-sharing
elsewhere in the world.
Project Name
Building a Generation of Safe and Healthy
Workers: SafeYouth@Work (SY@W)
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) ILO
Funding Amount (Côte d’Ivoire Component) USD $221,092
Target Country(ies) Côte d’Ivoire
Period of Implementation (Côte d’Ivoire
Component)
April 2018 June 2019
Summary
In 2014, USDOL funded the ILO to implement the $11.4 million, global SY@W project. SY@W aims to promote
the safety and health of young workers on the job, with a particular focus on those aged 15 to 24, who are more
vulnerable to occupational injuries and disease, and who as they join the workforce may be positioned to
contribute to a sustainable and prevention-focused OSH culture. In 2017, SY@W began providing limited
services in Côte d’Ivoire, but it was not until 2018 that Côte d’Ivoire was officially added to the project as a
participating country, with a funding amount of $221,092 and a focus on child labor in the cocoa sector.
In Côte d’Ivoire, SY@W assisted the Government of C
ôte d’Ivoire in developing the National Action Plan against
Child Labor (NAPACL) 20192021, which was officially endorsed by the government in May 2019. The NAPACL
has a component on OSH and calls for strategic actions to promote and enhance the use of OSH in the fight
against child labor. Specifically, SY@W applied Work Improvement in Neighborhood Development (WIND)
methodology to develop community-driven solutions to OSH hazards and risks, thereby sidestepping challenges
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to the national OSH system to address hazards in the agriculture sector. The SY@W project also supported
trainings for community development and self-help groups and cooperatives on OSH issues related to the cocoa
sector in order to strengthen the capacity of Côte d’Ivoire to enforce and comply with national labor laws and
regulations.
The community-driven initiatives supported by the project achieved gains. In the three beneficiary communities
in Mbatto District, 20 trainers were trained through the program and continue to engage in training activities
with local households. As a result of this engagement, some cocoa producers have adopted new equipment to
scrape cocoa beans without using machetes and knives. Furthermore, several cocoa producing households
implemented improved their income through the creation of various income-generation activities, such as the
production and sale of attieke (a well-liked local food) and the production of a cocoa bio fertilizer.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
An important lesson learned through the project was that global projects with centralized management
structures require country-level autonomy to make timely decisions regarding implementation and
expenditures. To improve efficiency and performance, it is important to decentralize, to the extent possible,
decision-making and provide autonomy to country-level teams.
A positive emergent practice was the project’s establishment of committees consisting of key stakeholders,
including government officials, trade unions, employer organizations, universities, and NGOs. The committees
met regularly to discuss progress in work plan implementation, identifying challenges, and developing solutions.
Project Name
Combating Forced Labor and Labor Trafficking of
Adults and Children in Ghana (Forced Labor
Indicators Project, FLIP)
Funding Partner USDOL, ILAB
Implementing Partner(s) Verité
Funding Amount USD $2 Million
Target Country(ies) Ghana
Period of Implementation December 2017 May 2021 (Active)
Summary
In 2018, USDOL awarded $2 million to Verité to improve the capacity of government, employers, civil society,
and workers in Ghana to use the ILO indicators on forced labor to understand and address forced labor and
labor trafficking in the cocoa, gold, and palm oil supply chains. The FLIP project promotes the ILO framework as
a shared analytic framework for law enforcement, private sector due diligence monitors, social service actors,
and CSOs. The project has three Outcomes:
Outcome 1: Improved understanding of indicators of forced labor, including indicators of labor
trafficking.
Outcome 2: Improved monitoring of working conditions by labor stakeholders to identify indicators and
address incidents of forced labor and labor trafficking.
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Outcome 3: Strengthened capacity of the labor inspectorate to address forced labor and labor
trafficking.
The FLIP project has made progress toward improving stakeholders’ understanding of forced labor indicators
within the three supply chains, training participants on both national and international legal frameworks around
forced labor and how to identify indicators of forced labor and labor trafficking. As of the mid-term evaluation,
23 institutions were participating in a consultation process with the project. Three institutions had developed
documented strategies for adopting a forced labor indicators approach, and a significant majority of
respondents demonstrated medium to high familiarity with forced labor indicators.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices
FLIP has generated an important promising practice regarding building the knowledge base on forced labor in
the country. Using a participatory training approach that utilizes specific issues and cases from the Ghanaian
context has enabled stakeholders to have a greater understanding of forced labor and forced labor indicators.
Next Steps
Stakeholders will align their labor monitoring systems with the forced labor indicators approach.
Labor Inspectorate staff will be taught the knowledge and skills needed to monitor for forced labor
indicators.
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2010-2019 Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group
Report by the Global Chocolate and Cocoa Industry
The
World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), serving as spokes organization for the global chocolate and cocoa
industry in the CLCCG, is pleased to submit its final report in support of the original 2001 Harkin-Engel Protocol
and the 2010 Framework of Action to reduce WFCL in the cocoa growing regions of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
WCF wishes to thank our CLCCG principals partners ILAB at the USDOL, the National Oversight Committee and
the Interministerial Committee in Côte d’Ivoire, the Ministry of Labor and Employment Relations in Ghana and
the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union, and the offices of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (ret.) and U.S. Congressman
Eliot Engelfor their commitment to working in partnership through the past 20 years. WCF also gratefully
acknowledges the technical support provided to industry throughout the years of the CLCCG process by the ICI.
We thank in particular Congressman Eliot Engel for his dedication to the well-being of children in West Africa
over the lifetime of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
This overview report contains the following sections:
I. Introduction: Our Commitment
II. Chocolate and Cocoa Industry Activities and Results 2010-2019
III. ICI 2010-2019 Activities and Results
IV. Future Commitments
V. Conclusion
I. Introduction: Our Commitment
Child labor remains a persistent challenge in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, despite coordinated, high-profile efforts
and significant financial investments by the governments, industry, cocoa-growing communities, and
development partners.
Targets to reduce child labor were set without fully understanding the complexity and scale of a challenge
heavily associated with poverty in rural Africa. Government and company programs to reduce child labor are
nevertheless making a difference.
A study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under the auspices of the Harkin-Engel Framework reports that
the more than 60 percent increase in total cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana over the past 10 years
did not bring a similar surge in child labor. Government and company programs led to a reduction in child labor.
Recent analysis by the independent research organization NORC at the University of Chicago and the ICI have
shown that hazardous child labor has been reduced by one-third in communities where company programs are
operating and by one-half among those child laborers specifically identified by company due diligence
measures.
In research commissioned by WCF, NORC recommended that a package of company measures addressing child
labor be expanded to more communities: “… efforts to combat child labor and hazardous child labor in
respective supply chains should be increased given current successes,” said the study, entitled Assessment of
Effectiveness of Cocoa Industry Interventions in Reducing Child Labor in Cocoa Growing Areas of Côte d’Ivoire
and Ghana.
Industry is already ramping up its investments to fight child labor in recognition of our long-held conviction that
child labor has no place in the cocoa supply chain. These investments support the implementation of the strong
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national action plans recently developed in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry,
multilateral organizations such as UNICEF and the ILO and civil society, by the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and
Ghana to eliminate child labor.
In 2019, industry invested $65 million in a wide range of social development activities to address child labor in
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, covering child protection, education, community development, birth registrations,
income diversification for vulnerable households, and other child protection and child survival-focused activities
that address the root causes of child labor about five-times higher than what was spent per year in 2001-18.
Companies are working on a more transformative approach to make sure today’s generation of children are
protected from labor on cocoa farms. Success will require more ambitious partnerships and collaboration.
II. Chocolate & Cocoa Industry Activities and Results
As stated in the Framework, the objectives involved joint efforts in the following areas:
Provision of education and vocational training services to children as a means to remove children from, or
prevent them from entering, the WFCL.
Application of protective measures to remove workplace hazards from cocoa farming to allow children of
legal working age to work under safe conditions.
Promotion of livelihood services for the households of children working in the cocoa sector.
Establishment and implementation of a sector-wide CLMS.
What is obvious, with hindsight, is that the reduction goal underestimated the challenge.
The challenge is more complex than was understood in 2001 or 2010 because the roots of child labor are deeply
anchored in persistent poverty that is widespread in rural farming communities across West Africa. Most cocoa
farmers live in poverty and cannot afford to hire laborers on their farms. Instead, their children do the work.
Until the COVID-19 crisis hit in early 2020, poverty was steadily declining around the world and was increasingly
concentrated in Africa. Within Africa, poverty is increasingly concentrated in rural areas. This is where cocoa is
grown.
Cocoa and chocolate companies have partnered with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, worked with
civil society organizations, and invested in a package of measures to fight child labor, including child protection
and awareness-raising programs, schools, and women’s livelihood support programs.
These company-funded programs have achieved major successes in reducing child labor. We know this because
data obtained through independent research shows that the programs reduced the likelihood of a family having
a child in child labor by 23 percentage points in Côte d’Ivoire and by 13 percentage points in Ghana. When
measuring the impact on hazardous child labor, the same research found that company programs lowered the
likelihood by 26 percentage points in Côte d’Ivoire and by 16 percentage points in Ghana.
Industry supply chain-based child labor monitoring and remediation programs currently cover about 20 percent
of households in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Industry plans to raise this to 100 percent by 2025.
Industry Funded Projects under the Framework of Action 2010 to 2014
Between 2010 and 2014, WCF and eight companies including ADM, Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Ferrero, The
Hershey Company; Mars Incorporated, Mondelēz International and Nestlé committed $10.053 million towards
Framework activities. These projects raised awareness about the dangers of child labor and the benefits of
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education. They helped children obtain birth certificates so they could attend school, provided school uniforms
and school kits, and covered the costs of enrollment fees. Industry funded projects built and furnished
classrooms, bore holes for water pumps, installed solar panels for electricity, and built canteens, teacher
lodging, and latrines. In other communities, to promote sustainability, projects involved in school construction
worked with local school management committees (SMCs), training them to mobilize community resources,
oversee construction of school infrastructure, and manage the upkeep of community schools.
ILO-IPEC Public-Private Partnership, “Combating Child Labor in Cocoa Growing Communities in Ghana and
Côte d’Ivoire” 2010-2014: $2 million
The $2 million project supported the International Labor Organization’s International Programme on the
Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) to develop and expand community-based CLMS; strengthened the capacity
of government, social partners, and cocoa farmers to combat hazardous child labor in cocoa growing
communities and enhanced the role of tripartite national child labor steering committees. This public-private
partnership ended in December 2014.
The Cocoa Link Project; The Hershey Company: $600,000
The CocoaLink Project used innovative mobile technology to deliver agricultural and social information to rural
cocoa farmers in Ghana, providing an interactive platform which also enabled farmers to ask questions and
provide and receive real-time feedback.
Mondelez International, Inc.: $1.548 million
Mondelez’s Cocoa Life initiative used a holistic approach to support rural cocoa communities through the
improvement of the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and the reduction of child labor in farming families in Ghana.
By working to increase the incomes of households with at risk children and increasing educational access for
children in those farming families, the program furthered the goals of the Harkin-Engel Framework. Mondelez's
Cocoa Life Ambassadors program educated children on child labor issues through a youth mentorship program,
school reading clubs, and summer camps.
Nestlé Cocoa Plan: $1.5 million
The Nestlé Cocoa Plan Schools Project financed the construction or refurbishment of up to 40 schools with a
total of 120 classrooms in 40 communities in Côte d’Ivoire. The project included a number of support services
for the schools and communities, including a baseline educational assessment in each community that included
the incidence of child labor. Nestlé enhanced teaching effectiveness through training in pedagogy and
classroom management. Nestlé built 17 primary schools in Côte d'Ivoire and established school vegetable
gardens to serve as a source of revenue for items such as school repairs, equipment needs, and stipends for
volunteer teachers.
Barry Callebaut The Quality Partner Program Rural Schools & Community Learning Centers Project: $300,000
The Barry Callebaut program supported construction of a primary school in two cocoa growing communities in
Côte d’Ivoire. The project included construction of teacher housing, the drilling of a bore hole and water pump
on school premises, and the installation of solar panels for the school and teacher housing.
The Ferrero Cocoa Community Commitment: $1.142 million
Ferrero worked in conjunction with NPECLC to leverage existing non-governmental organization resources in the
field to expand a GCLMS to 162 communities. Additionally, village resource centers were built in eight
communities.
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A second Ferrero project established village resource centers and provided computers and internet connectivity
to help children develop information technology skills. Ferrero established community learning centers at local
schools.
Mars Incorporated: $2,713 million
The Mars programs were coordinated under the Mars Vision for Change Program, a holistic activity that
supported thriving rural cocoa communities in Côte d’Ivoire through the improvement of the livelihoods of
cocoa farmers and the reduction of child labor in farming families through raising awareness on child labor,
building community capacity, and working to increase the incomes of households with at risk children. Mars
created CPCs and developed community development plans in 57 communities.
ICI donation: $250,000
The eight companies provided $250,000 to help the ICI expand its work in new cocoa growing communities in
both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Industry Projects outside the auspices of the Framework of Action
In addition to projects funded as part of the Framework of Action commitment, industry supported a U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) public private partnership project and also established a
community development grant.
ECHOES 2007-2014
The Empowering Cocoa Households with Opportunities & Education (ECHOES) Alliance was a public-private
partnership between USAID and WCF cocoa and chocolate companies. ECHOES strengthened cocoa-growing
communities by expanding opportunities for youth and young adults through relevant educational programming
in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
ECHOES was among the first programs to integrate community capacity building, livelihoods, literacy, and basic
education activities as a way of strengthening the capacity of rural youth in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The
program built local educational capacity while simultaneously offering viable options for local economic
engagement. During its lifetime, the $10.5 million ECHOES grant managed to leverage $4.8 million in private
sector contributions to promote basic education and livelihoods skill development in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Major accomplishments include the following:
189 SMC members were trained to manage WCF ECHOES activities and raise awareness of the WFCL.
Eight (8) Women’s Groups were organized in Côte d’Ivoire.
36 schools were built in 36 communities in Côte d’Ivoire.
Four (4) preschool classrooms and maternal resource centers were built in Côte d’Ivoire.
339 Ivorian community leaders (292 men and 47 women) were trained on minimal construction norms
and participated in school construction processes.
21 literacy centers were set up in Côte d’Ivoire and 15 adult literacy classes were set up in Ghana.
17 Agriculture Clubs were formed, and 32 School Demonstration Farms were set up in Côte d’Ivoire and
Ghana.
1,779 pupils participated in agriculture training in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
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Cocoa Community Development Fund 2012-2014
The WCF Cocoa Community Development Fund (CCDF) supported cocoa communities in Cote d’Ivoire by funding
community-identified projects and scientific research where WCF and WCF member-supported programs were
based. CCDF was made available through a $1 million private gift that was expanded via contributions from
WCF member companies over a two-year period. The CCDF provided grants in two areas that address root
causes of child labor:
Community Challenge Grants: Community Challenge Grants provided small infrastructure and service
provision around community identified needs to address gaps that hindered livelihoods and education
development. Grant activities were based on community action plans and/or assessments.
Cocoa Family Scholarships: Cocoa Family Scholarships expanded business opportunities for women in
Côte d’Ivoire. The scholarships were used to simultaneously support youth education and increase
retention probability from the primary to the secondary level while enhancing the mother’s income-
generation potential. Women scholars were selected based on a set of criteria so that the grant was
used to invest in an existing business while supporting children’s education and schooling. Scholars
were linked with a mentor to provide one-on-one guidance and training about basic business skills.
Industry-Funded Projects 2015-2019
CocoaAction
In May 2014, ten industry partners committed to support WCF’s CocoaAction program, an initiative to
coordinate the cocoa sustainability efforts of the industry. As part of its community development activities,
CocoaAction called on participating companies to support child labor monitoring, remediation, primary
education, and vocational training. The program sought to align its support for child labor reduction efforts with
community development plans and other programs supported by governments and donors.
Barry Callebaut; Blommer; Cargill; ECOM; Ferrero; The Hershey Company; Mars, Incorporated; Mondelēz
International; Nestlé and Olam supported the umbrella program whose goal was to train on good agricultural
practices and deliver improved planting material and fertilizer and empower communities through education,
child labor monitoring, and women’s empowerment.
Under a Community Development Package, WCF sought to implement activities to decrease the number of
children participating in hazardous child labor; increase the number of women in leadership positions in farmer
organizations and increase the percentage of school-age children regularly attending school.
CocoaAction community development activities covered three interrelated areas: child protection, education,
and women’s empowerment for a holistic approach to community development. The CocoaAction core
interventions related to child protection were:
Raise awareness in community on child labor
Form and/or train CPCs or other community-based structure or person
Build and operationalize CLMRS
CocoaAction companies pledged to empower 1,200 communities through community development
interventions in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana by 2020.
In addition to the CocoaAction participants listed above, WCF members Cemoi, Ecom, Meiji, Morinaga,
Tachibana and Touton conducted activities in support of women’s empowerment and/or child protection.
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CocoaAction Community Development Data
By 2019, CocoaAction companies had completed 1,306 community needs assessments surpassing
CocoaAction’s target of 1,200 communities. Within those CocoaAction communities, elements of the
community development package were implemented in cooperation with the communities, local governments,
and civil society organizations through community action plans.
In communities in Côte d’Ivoire, the number of schools with equipment, infrastructure, and school materials
interventions have more than doubled in 2019, and also increased in Ghana. In both countries, support to their
SMCs has gone up, more than doubling in Ghana and increasing as well in Côte d’Ivoire. The percentage of
women involved in community organization structures has decreased slightly from the levels seen in 2018,
which had increased dramatically from 2017, especially in Côte d’Ivoire.
Community Development Details
Within the CocoaAction communities, the number of schools supported overall has increased from 196 in 2018
to 357 schools supported in 2019. While in 2018 the number of schools supported with teaching materials went
down, in 2019 the number of schools supported with teaching materials went up dramatically to 100 schools.
The number of schools supported with construction or rehabilitation, school feeding programs, school uniforms,
and “other” types of support have all increased in 2019 from those supported in 2018. Overall, the total
numbers of schools supported has continued to increase, along with support at all levels from larger
interventions such as school construction and rehabilitation to smaller interventions such as school uniforms.
The number of women in CocoaAction communities participating in Income Generating Activities activities
decreased slightly in 2019 from those participating in 2018, although the number of women reporting an
increase in income has increased. In 2019, a total of 14,114 women participated in IGA activities while in 2018 a
total of 14,929 women participated in IGA activities. However, in 2019 a total of 9,669 women reported
increased income as opposed to 6,872 in 2018. This reflects a continuation in focus in 2019 on women’s
empowerment activities, with 34% of women participating in community organizations / governance structures
in Côte d’Ivoire and 29% of women participating in community organizations / governance structures in Ghana.
WCF acknowledges that CocoaAction has not been able to collate and measure the numerous interventions and
progress made by so many individual companies, many of which are highlighted below.
Industry Social Development Interventions 2010-2020
USAID Industry VSLA Project $2 million
Since April 2019, WCF members Barry Callebaut, Blommer, Cargill, Hershey, Mars, Mondelez, Nestle and Olam
have been partnering with USAID in support of VSLAs in Côte d’Ivoire. VSLAs are community-based women's
associations/organizations with an average of 20 members each. VSLA members regularly contribute to a
savings fund based on an unanimously agreed amount and, from the funds saved, grant each other loans,
contributing to improved access to income. The repayment of the loans is made with an interest rate that
increases the amount available in the fund. The partnership includes the creation of 101 new VSLAs consisting
of 2,507 members (2,190 female). Also, 32 mature VSLAs were linked to formal financial institutions between
October 2019 and March 2020. It is expected that 20,850 participants in an estimated 934 VSLAs in Côte
d’Ivoire will benefit from the program.
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Projects Supporting Education, Child Protection, Child Survival and Living Income
In late 2019, fifteen chocolate and cocoa companies reported to WCF on a range of company social
development interventions from 2010-2019 in the areas of education; child protection, child survival and living
income support. Highlights include:
Education
School materials have been distributed to 19,888 children in Ghana and 61,044 children in Côte d’Ivoire.
Child Protection
145,540 households in Ghana and 168,572 households in Côte d’Ivoire were recipients of targeted child labor
and child protection awareness raising activities.
179,037 households in Ghana and 146,806 households in Côte d’Ivoire participated in supply chain-based CLMS.
163,525 individuals in Ghana and 61,109 individuals in Côte d’Ivoire received Gender & Women’s Empowerment
services.
Child Survival
883 communities in Ghana and 609 communities in Côte d’Ivoire benefited from Clean Water & Sanitation
projects.
559 communities in Ghana and 353 communities in Côte d’Ivoire participated in School Nutrition programs.
Living Income
56,894 households in Ghana and 35,105 households in Côte d’Ivoire received financial literacy training.
39,816 individuals in Ghana and 31,224 individuals in Côte d’Ivoire participated in Income Generating Activities.
Not every company measures progress in the same way. Therefore, where possible we have included links to
individual company programs to further an understanding of the breadth of the commitment of chocolate and
cocoa industry members.
Barry Callebaut: Forever Chocolate
aims to eradicate child labor from its cocoa supply chain through a
combination of cocoa farmer poverty alleviation, access to quality education and awareness raising. Goal: By
2025 eliminate child labor from the company’s supply chain.
Blommer Chocolate Company: Sustainable Origins
programs reach from West Africa to the Americas and
Indonesia. To date, 80,000 farmers participated in its sustainability programs. Per a 2012 commitment,
Blommer continues to provide solutions to its customers to enable them to achieve their sustainability goals as
well as Blommer’s own goals.
Cargill: The Cargill Cocoa Promise
the company’s commitment is to identify, prevent and end child labor in its
supply chain by 2025. This begins with ensuring that children are protected from the WFCL and their
consequences, as defined by the ILO. The challenges are complex: child labor is directly linked to rural poverty
and, in poor farming communities, children’s contribution on farms is often seen as a necessity. Cargill’s CLMRS
is at the center of a holistic approach to ending child labor.
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Cémoi: Transparence Cacao Cémoi’s commitment to quality begins at the foundation: with its ingredients.
Alongside the company’s pursuit of the finest quality cacao products, Cémoi is also committed to sustainability
at every stage of its supply chain, and to creating prosperity and opportunity for farmers and their communities.
Ferrero: Ferrero is committed to supporting and improving cocoa farming sustainability through the
implementation of the Ferrero Farming Values Cocoa Program
. The program’s approach is based on three key
pillars: Certification, Institutional Engagement and Project Partnerships. Ferrero has committed to source 100%
certified cocoa beans by the end of 2020.
The Hershey Company: Hershey’s Cocoa for Good
strategy outlines the company’s plan for sustainable cocoa.
Hershey is investing half a billion dollars by 2030 to nourish children, elevate youth, build prosperous
communities, and preserve natural ecosystems. Through a comprehensive life skills and financial education
program, the company is enabling young people to become agents of change in their own neighborhoods.
Participants develop their own income-generating activities through training, coaching, and establishing savings
groups, which ultimately helps change their perception towards farming and working in cocoa supply.
Lindt & Sprüngli: The Lindt & Sprüngli Farming Program
with its farming program, Lindt & Sprüngli is committed
to improving the challenging living and working conditions of the farmers in Ghana and in all the countries
where the program has been introduced.
Mondelez: Cocoa Life’s
approach to eliminating child labor is three-pronged: it focuses on prevention,
monitoring and remediation, with a heavy emphasis on addressing the root causes of child labor.
Mars Wrigley: Sustainable in a Generation
protecting children and empowering women and communities are
pivotal to a thriving cocoa supply chain. Mars’ Strategic Approach to Protecting Children in Cocoa Farming
Communities sets out to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights issues with a focus on child and forced
labor in its extended cocoa supply chain through comprehensive human rights due diligence processes as well
as community-based investments that help tackle the root causes of these complex issues. Mars Wrigley is
backing up its Cocoa for Generations strategy with an investment of more than $1 billion over the next 10 years.
Morinaga: One Chocolate One Smile
this is a project that provides assistance in improving the educational
environments for children in cocoa producing countries using chocolate sales. The company’s partners, Plan
International Japan and ACE - Japan, used the donation money to improve the school and hygiene environment,
provide technology guidance to farmers, and to raise awareness of authority for children through education in
support areas.
Nestlé: Nestlé Cocoa Plan
real change cannot be brought about by one organization or company working in
isolation. Collaboration is needed. The partnership between Nestlé and the ICI is changing the way that the
cocoa industry tackles the issue of child labor. In 2012 Nestlé became the first company in the industry to
establish a comprehensive supply chain approach to child labor the CLMRS.
Olam Group: Cocoa Compass
. Olam Cocoa has committed to set up dedicated CLMRS across 100 percent of its
direct sourcing areas. Olam:
established 1,638 birth certificates for children who were at the risk of not being admitted to secondary
school as a result of lacking such documents.
set up over 111 VSLAs that have saved nearly $155,000 in total and granted loans of a total value of
$63,482 and plans to set up another 165 in 2020.
established CPCs in 33 areas that promote awareness of children’s needs.
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In 2018/2019 the company identified 7,059 cases of child labor in the sustainability programs it runs with its
branded partners. 5,060 (72 percent) of cases have now either benefited or are currently benefiting from
remediation.
Touton
: The company’s first sustainability programs date back to the 1990s, when the company began working
on projects to increase cocoa farmers’ livelihoods around its own Société Agricole de l’Ouest plantation in Côte
d’Ivoire. Touton’s cocoa beans are now traceable all along the supply chain, from the origin to the consumer
allowing segregation of conventional and certified beans as well as better monitoring and understanding of the
communities of farmers with which Touton works.
III. ICI 2015-2019 Activities and Results
The ICI, established under the Protocol, works with the industry, governments, NGOs, and other development
partners to improve the lives of children in cocoa-growing communities and eliminate child labor. It supports
the acceleration and scale-up of child-centered community development and responsible supply-chain
management.
ICI’s 2015-2020 strategy has so far directly benefited 329,000 children, 232 communities and 194 farming
cooperatives.
Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation Systems
A core part of ICI’s 2015-20 strategy consists of working with the cocoa sector to embed responsible risk-
management within supply chains through CLMRS. These systems prevent, identify, monitor, and remediate
child labor cases and were developed and adapted for the cocoa sector by ICI in 2012. They are now being
implemented across the cocoa supply chain in West and Central Africa, protecting children and supporting
human rights due diligence. ICI estimates that these systems cover 15% of the cocoa supply chain in Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana.
Last year, working with eight partners, ICI’s CLMRS were active in 194 cooperatives, covering over
168,757 farmers across Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon. Since 2015, along with its partners, ICI has
positively impacted the lives of 215,746 children in cocoa communities through these systems.
ICI’s CLMRS which blend monitoring, awareness raising, remediation and prevention activities are estimated
to identify at least 60% of child labor cases in farmers’ cooperatives and can result in a reduction of hazardous
child labor by as much as 49% among those children. This demonstrates that CLMRS are having an important
impact.
But through experience ICI has also learned that the situation in cocoa communities is highly fluid. Among
children who stop working, around 23% may return to carrying out hazardous tasks at some point. This
underscores the necessity for continual monitoring of households, particularly to guard against relapse and to
ensure that harder to reach cases receive ongoing support. Repeated follow-up visits allow vulnerable
households where children continue to face the risk of child labor, to receive further targeted remediation.
Through the ongoing discussions to develop a new transformative multistakeholder partnership to address child
labor from 2020 onwards, some of ICI’s partners in the chocolate and cocoa industry have committed to expand
CLMRS to cover their entire supply chain. Such steps are necessary if the sector is to make greater progress in
reducing child labor. ICI is continuing to innovate and test adaptations to further increase the effectiveness of
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REPORT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL CHOCOLATE & COCOA INDUSTRY
such systems and reduce the costs of implementation, creating conducive conditions for the CLMRS to be
scaled up.
CLMRS Statistics
Supporting empowered communities to increase child protection and reduce child labor
Community development has been integral to ICI’s strategic approach for the past five years. Between 2015
and 2018, with the financial support of its members, ICI assisted 75 cocoa-growing communities in Côte d’Ivoire
and Ghana using ICI’s community development aapproach to create a more protective and enabling
environment for children. In 2019 the foundation commissioned an external evaluation and conducted
additional analysis to understand how effective the approach has been in reducing child labor and promoting
children’s rights.
Aanalysis of the impact of ICI’s community development program shows a significant reduction of child labor
over the course of the project by an average of 17% across 46 communities in Côte d’Ivoire, although the
reduction observed in Ghana was not statistically significant. The number of days and hours during which
children carried out hazardous tasks also fell in both countries. The external evaluation also showed significant
impacts in terms of improved access to quality education and community empowerment, when compared to
unassisted communities.
Key to ICI’s success were the CCPCs that were set up or strengthened within the assisted communities. These
groups supported the development of Community Action Plans and forged vital connections with local
government. Consequently, they were able to make their voices heard, receive visits from local government
officials, and lobby for further support. CPCs remained active in all the communities throughout ICI’s three-year
program.
In tandem, communities mobilized more funds than comparison communities to pursue specific development
projects and invest in children’s education. Throughout the project, community financial and in-kind
contributions to the implementation of their Action Plans more than doubled, from 15% to 33%, highlighting
increased ownership of the development process.
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Access to quality education also increased in the 75 communities. Schools were constructed or renovated,
canteens were built, enabling school meal programs to be put in place, teachers’ accommodations were
erected, and school latrines were built to make school environments fit for learning. These actions saw
enrollment levels rise by 13%, increasing children’s time in the classroom and opportunities for formal learning.
Women also became empowered through a combination of literacy and numeracy classes, income-generating
activities, and savings groups. This meant that women’s autonomy, household incomes and self-esteem all
improved in assisted communities. The external evaluation revealed that these activities were valued highly by
community members.
Over the three-year period, ICI’s community development program has been shown to be effective in reducing
child labor. Assisted communities were empowered to put in place locally-managed child protection systems
and conduct numerous activities that contribute to their community’s overall development.
ICI’s impact on assisted communities (compared to control communities with no intervention)
In Côte d’Ivoire:
Significant decrease in hazardous child
labour prevalence (by 17%)
Significant increase in school enrolment (by
23%)
Significant decrease in average number of
hours worked per day (by 26%)
No significant decrease in average number
of days on which a child works per week
In Ghana:
No statistically significant effect on
hazardous child labour prevalence
(although trend suggests a decrease)
No statistically significant effect on school
enrolment (already high)
Significant decrease in average number of
days on which a child works per week (by
35%)
Last year, ICI delved further into the link between education quality and child labor. This research found a
strong correlation between higher quality education and lower prevalence of child labor.
The study, covering 258 cocoa-growing communities, examined school access, infrastructure, services, and
school management. Several of these factors were associated with lower rates of child labor, including the
presence of school meal programs in Ghana, having trained SMCs in Côte d’Ivoire, and, in both countries, the
existence of school toilets.
On their own, most of these factors did not have a statistically significant association with child labor. But
combined, the link between child labor and quality education became stronger. Collecting these factors
together into a Quality Education Index, the communities with the highest quality of education score saw child
labor prevalence at 10%, or 66% lower than in the communities with the lowest quality of education score.
While quality education can positively impact a child’s development, livelihood and future prospects, there is
much less evidence about the causal link between education interventions and child labor. Many children
successfully combine school and work. This suggests that while activities to improve access to quality education
may play an important role, they are unlikely to address child labor on their own.
ICI has shared its findings on education and child labor with the cocoa sector and is using what it has learned in
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. ICI is also working to fill the existing knowledge gaps. ICI continues to support ongoing
research to identify which strategies are most effective in cocoa-growing communities, including through
ongoing pilot innovation projects. One of these pilots is examining the impact of several different interventions
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related to quality education: training on child protection, new teaching methodologies, renovation of
classrooms, construction of school toilets, and school playgrounds.
IV. Future Commitments
Child labor has no place in the cocoa supply chain. Governments, industry, civil society, and cocoa-growing
communities now need a more transformative approach. This approach will scale up existing programs, recruit
more allies and organizations to the cause, and accelerate initiatives that fight poverty as the root cause of child
labor in cocoa.
Companies and the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana now know more about what works and are
scaling up these efforts for impact.
To protect children, companies are working with the governments to increase the coverage of
Child Labor
Monitoring & Remediation Systems to 100% by 2025 from about 20% in 2019 in cocoa-growing communities in
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
To ensure access to quality education, companies are investing $25 million by 2025 in a new education fund in
Côte d’Ivoire, led by the Jacobs Foundation, and developed in close consultation with government and industry
that will reach 5 million children.
To help raise farmers out of poverty, companies have implemented the new Living Income Differential pricing
policy of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana in 2020/21 that will provide an estimated $1.2 billion in additional revenues
for cocoa farmers on top of official market prices.
To boost household incomes and yields, companies will reach 100% coverage by 2025 of all farmers in their
direct supply chain with training, coaching, or farm development plans on good agricultural practices.
Companies are already ramping up their investments to fight child labor. This supports the implementation of
the strong national action plans recently approved by Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to eliminate child labor. In 2019,
companies invested $65 million in a wide range of social development activities to address child labor, covering
child protection, education, community development, income diversification for vulnerable households, and
other child survival activities about five times higher than what was spent a year in 2001-18.
Companies are working on a more transformative approach that includes more ambitious partnerships and
collaboration. Companies alone cannot solve the problem we are committed to launching a new public-
private partnership with the producing and consuming governments, UN agencies, farmer groups, and civil
society organization to tackle the root causes of child labor, which is heavily associated with poverty. Only by
taking this more direct and comprehensive approach can we ensure today’s generation of children reach their
full potential and have a chance at the bright future they deserve.
V. Conclusions
Ending child labor is a challenge for all stakeholders in the cocoa supply chain. In partnership with producing
governments, cocoa consuming countries, international development partners, civil society organizations, and
other stakeholders, the global chocolate and cocoa industry is committed to support and implement long-term
solutions that will help safeguard children in the cocoa-growing communities of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
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APPENDIX 1: DECLARATION
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APPENDIX 2: FRAMEWORK
Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol
The following is a Framework of Action for efforts aimed at a significant reduction in the worst forms of child
labor in cocoa producing areas of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. The Framework is intended to support the further
implementation and realization of the goals of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
1. Purpose: The overarching goal of the Framework is:
By 2020, the worst forms of child labor as defined by ILO Convention 182 in the cocoa sectors of Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana will be reduced by 70 percent in aggregate through joint efforts by key stakeholders
to provide and support remediation services for children removed from the worst forms of child labor,
including education and vocational training, protective measures to address issues of occupational safety
and health related to cocoa production, and livelihood services for the households of children in cocoa
growing communities; the establishment and implementation of a credible and transparent sector-wide
monitoring system across cocoa growing regions in the two countries; and the promotion of respect for
core labor standards.
To reach this overarching goal, the Framework will support the development of thriving cocoa
communities fostering safe, healthy, and productive environments for children and families through
coordinated support for new or expanded initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana in the following areas:
a. Removal of children from the worst forms of child labor, including hazardous labor, in cocoa growing
areas and provision of appropriate remediation services, including education or vocational training;
or in the case of children/youth of legal working age, removal of workplace hazards and other steps
necessary to bring labor conditions into conformity with national laws and international labor
standards;
1
b. Prevention of children’s involvement in the worst forms of child labor, including through increased
access to schooling and vocational training and improvement in the quality and relevance of
education;
c. Promotion of sustainable livelihoods for the households of children in cocoa growing areas;
2
d. Establishment and implementation of community-based CLMS in cocoa growing areas, linked to the
provision of remediation for children identified as engaged in the worst forms of child labor; and
1
For the purpose of this document, remediation services are defined as removing children from hazardous or exploitative labor through the
provision of direct services. This includes education and livelihood services, protective measures to address issues of occupational safety and
health related to cocoa production, and social protection services for trafficking victims. Education services may take the form of formal or
non-formal education and vocational training. Livelihood services improve the ability of the family to care for the child and protect the child
from the WFCL. By providing protective measures to address issues of occupational safety and health related to cocoa production, youth of
legal working age who are engaged in hazardous labor could be withdrawn by transitioning them into safe, acceptable work that is in
conformity with both national laws and international labor standards. Children who are victims of trafficking may need to receive social
protection services, including rehabilitation and repatriation services.
2
For the purpose of this document, livelihood is defined as a means of living and the capabilities, assets, and activities required for it. A
livelihood encompasses income, as well as social institutions, gender relations, and property rights required to support and sustain a certain
standard of living. It also includes access to and benefits derived from social and public services provided by the state, such as education,
health services, and other infrastructure. In turn, sustainable livelihood programs seek to create long-lasting solutions to poverty by
empowering their target population and addressing their overall well-being. (http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADR399.pdf)
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APPENDIX 2: FRAMEWORK
e. Continuation of nationally representative child labor surveys, recurring at least every 5 years.
Nationally representative baseline data is established as the most recent data coming out of the
2008-2009 Tulane field surveys. The next nationally representative surveys in both countries will be
in the field during the 2013-2014 harvest season, with a report made in 2014, and again in the field
in 2018-2019, with a report in 2019. These surveys will provide comparable data for ongoing
assessment of child labor prevalence in cocoa growing areas and a commitment to make publicly
available the related survey methodologies, all raw data, and reports based on the findings of such
surveys. In addition to such nationally representative surveys, efforts should also be made to
incorporate a child labor component into existing national household surveys to support efforts to
combat the worst forms of child labor nationally in each country.
2. Key Stakeholders: Stakeholders under this Framework are defined as follows:
a. Cocoa growing communities: This group includes children in cocoa growing areas and the
households of these children where efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods will address root
causes of child labor.
b. Producer Governments: This group includes the national, district, and local government agencies of
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
c. International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry: This group includes companies participating in this
Framework which are engaged in the growing of cocoa, processing of cocoa, and/or production and
sale of its derivative products.
d. Foreign Donors: This group includes the U.S. Government (the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S.
Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and key Congressional
Offices—Senator Tom Harkin and Representative Eliot Engel). Other donor entities, such as the
European Union and other international donors, are encouraged to fund projects that will support
the goals of this Framework.
e. Social Partners and Civil Society: This group includes employer and worker organizations, NGOs,
and community-based organizations in both Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, as well the international
counterparts of these groups.
f. Implementing Organizations (including International Organizations and other NGOs): This group
includes among others, the ILO-IPEC, the ICI, the WCF, and other organizations possessing expertise
related to the initiatives under this Framework and whose projects or other inputs are integrated
and supportive of achievement of the Framework’s goals.
3. Financial Partners: The key stakeholders defined above include a subset of partners, including the U.S.
Government and the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry, that have committed to provide new
financial support for new or expanded interventions to achieve a significant and sustainable reduction in
the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and whose actions are
supportive of achievement of this Framework’s goals. This subset also includes the Governments of
Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, who will transparently communicate their financial and human resource
commitments under this Framework to the CLCCG and its Principals. (See Section 6.)
It is further noted that the group of financial partners may be expanded over the life of the Framework
to include other partners, such as other private sector entities, NGOs or international organizations. In
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APPENDIX 2: FRAMEWORK
order to ensure that new initiatives are supportive of the Framework’s goals, proposals for new partners
and their programs will be subject to review by the CLCCG and its Principals.
4. Roles, Responsibilities and Commitments under this Framework: This framework considers the roles,
responsibilities and contributions of financial partners as noted below:
a. Producer Governments: The Producer Governments play critical roles in planning, implementing
and monitoring progress toward achievement of their respective national plans that are the
foundation for reducing the worst forms of child labor. The Producer Governments must ensure
coherence between project efforts under this Framework and the national plans for the purposes of
national and local ownership and sustainability. Producer Governments also will ensure adequate
human, financial, and organizational (e.g., decision making and internal advocacy) resource capacity
in appropriate government agencies, as well as working in partnership with financial partners and
other key stakeholders, to provide the following services:
o Data collection and monitoring at the community and national level through supporting a
nation-wide, community-based CLMS and by developing, funding and conducting nationally
representative surveys as described in this Framework;
o Remediation for the children removed from the worst forms of child labor through the provision
of education, vocational training, and by increased support for programs to improve livelihoods
for the households of children in cocoa growing communities;
o Prevention of other children from involvement in the worst forms of child labor in cocoa
growing communities through the provision of education, vocational training, and increased
support for programs to improve livelihoods for the households of children in cocoa growing
communities;
o Development of physical and social infrastructure, including roads, wells and schools in cocoa
growing areas; and
o Enforcement of laws intended to protect children from the worst forms of child labor.
b. International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry: The Harkin-Engel Protocol and accompanying Joint
Statements of 2005 and 2008 serve as a commitment by the representatives of the International
Chocolate and Cocoa Industry to carry out the industry’s responsibilities to ensure that cocoa beans
and their derivative products are grown and processed in a manner compliant with internationally-
recognized standards on child labor. Specifically, in the Joint Statement of 2008, the International
Chocolate and Cocoa Industry committed itself to “continue to support efforts to eliminate the
worst forms of child labor and forced adult labor on cocoa farms and to help cocoa farmers, their
families and communities by continuing to work with the national governments to ensure that the
certification process, including remediation and verification are fully implemented.” It is further
noted in the Joint Statement of 2008 that the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry will work
with the governments of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to have a sector-wide certification process “fully
in place across each country’s cocoa growing sector.”
Within this Framework of Action, the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry, in partnership
with financial partners and other key stakeholders, will:
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APPENDIX 2: FRAMEWORK
o Continue to support data collection and monitoring at the community and national level
through a credible community-based CLMS.
o Through relevant local institutions and stakeholders, support the provision of appropriate
remediation services for children based on the CLMS data, national survey data, and other
credible sources of information, with the goal of protecting children from the worst forms of
child labor in the cocoa growing areas of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
o Provide sustainable livelihoods for the households of children in cocoa growing communities in
order to protect children from the worst forms of child labor and ensure thriving cocoa
communities.
o Provide technical advice to assist in the refinement and implementation of the ILO-IPEC project
referenced as: “Towards Child Labor Free Cocoa Growing Communities through an Integrated
Area Based Approach.”
o Strive to ensure their cocoa supply chains use safe and responsible labor practices, including
combating the worst forms of child labor. Individual companies will inform their employees who
buy or sell cocoa and its derivative products of the relevant ILO Conventions, the International
Cocoa Agreement, relevant labor legislation in the two countries, the Harkin-Engel Protocol and
the Framework of Action.
Reflecting their commitment to the production of cocoa and its derivative products without the
involvement of the worst forms of child labor, and as an immediate pledge, the International
Chocolate and Cocoa Industry is committing $7 million to further the goals of the Harkin-Engel
Protocol and the Framework of Action, of which $2 million will support an ILO-IPEC Public-Private
Partnership and $5 million that includes the expansion of significant current industry work on cocoa
which has demonstrated the value of partnerships of this nature. This funding will be spread out
over a five-year period, and the amount and timing of outlays will be discussed during CLCCG
consultations. The Industry is making a further pledge to explore the possibility of committing an
additional $3 million for remediation activities that further these goals.
c. U.S. Department of Labor: The U.S. Department of Labor will play an active role as a donor
supporting projects that reduce the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector in West Africa,
committing $10 million in 2010 for a new, multi-year program to be implemented by ILO-IPEC that
supports the efforts described in this Framework. The U.S. Department of Labor will continue to
report on progress being made to address the goals of the Harkin-Engel Protocol and the goals and
objectives of this Framework, with a specific emphasis on the progress made by the ILO in the
program noted here. As a donor, the U.S. Department of Labor will have substantial involvement in
the design and development of the project and will work in partnership with financial partners and
other key stakeholders.
5. Benefits: By promoting improved coordination and more integrated planning, implementation, and
assessment of interventions, this Framework offers a number of important benefits:
a. For cocoa growing communities, this approach can lead to thriving cocoa communities fostering
safe, healthy, and productive environments for children and families.
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b. For Producer Governments, the approach helps to focus and coordinate assistance on meeting
national goals related to the elimination of the worst forms of child labor, provision of universal
basic education, poverty reduction, and employment creation. National capacity will be built in data
collection, including nationally representative surveys; monitoring, including CLMS; impact
assessment; and remediation.
c. For Financial Partners, the Framework offers a coordinated approach that will help maximize impact
in target areas. Moreover, by demonstrating an effective model of cooperation, the Framework can
serve as a platform for attracting increased funding from other donors, including other chocolate
and cocoa companies, other manufacturers who purchase or use cocoa, chocolate and their
derivative ingredients, and other international agencies with an interest in tackling the worst forms
of child labor.
d. For the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry, the Framework provides an integrated
approach to enable the sustainable supply of cocoa in a manner consistent with the commitments
made under the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
e. For social partners and civil society, the Framework provides opportunities for the involvement of
social partners and civil society in dialogue on how best to support sustainable change.
f. For all stakeholders, the Framework provides mechanisms for promoting greater transparency and
accountability for all parties.
6. Governance: In order to meet the objectives of this Framework, the participants will operate within a
well designed and articulated structure of governance.
a. Within the context of governance, it is noted that there is a significant difference between “key
stakeholders” (those with an interest in the issue) and “financial partners” (those assuming a direct
responsibility for the management and ultimate success of the Framework of Action). The
development of governance structures will include mechanisms for stakeholders to be informed of
and to comment on the governance structures, while reserving direct and strategic decision making
to the financial partners.
b. The CLCCG will serve as the initial coordination and steering group for the implementation of this
Framework. The CLCCG is currently composed of (1) Principals representing the U.S. Department of
Labor, the Harkin and Engel offices, the Governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and the
International Chocolate and Cocoa industry and (2) a larger working group of representatives from
these organizations. It is envisaged that the CLCCG could be
7. Monitoring of Progress: Progress under the Framework will be monitored as follows:
a. The nationally-representative surveys on child labor in cocoa will provide standardized information
about the situation of the worst forms of child labor in cocoa in each country and be used to
measure progress on reducing the number of children in the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa
sectors of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
b. The CLCCG, in consultation with technical experts, will discuss and come to agreement on a
monitoring and evaluation design for use by all participants in this Framework.
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c. The CLCCG, in consultation with technical experts, will discuss and come to agreement on a set of
common indicators that clearly track interim progress towards the goal of a 70 percent reduction in
the worst forms of child labor in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and other key parameters that will be
reported on a regular basis.
d. In the periods between the national surveys, information from the CLMS will provide ongoing
information on the child labor situation in specific communities.
e. Individual projects launched under the Framework will measure progress towards the specific goals
of the project, report on an appropriate subset of common indicators, and include transparent
impact evaluations. Where feasible, the integration of randomized control trials or other rigorous
evaluation methods will be used to identify interventions that are both effective and cost efficient
so that they may be promoted for future replication and scaling-up.
f. A series of milestones, or performance goals, will be developed to assess the progress being made
to significantly reduce the worst forms of child labor in the cocoa sector of Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.
The benchmarks will be unique for each country and will be based on the commitments of specific
action on an annual basis.
g. A process evaluation of the Framework itself will be conducted two years after implementation of
the Framework begins, and an annual review will be carried out every twelve months subsequently.
8. Timeline to Launch the Framework
a. A Meeting of Principals will be held on September 13 to issue a Declaration of Joint Action, including
this Framework, and a joint public and media announcement will be made.
b. The Principals will deposit copies of key national plans (in the case of the Governments of Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana), identify Framework points of contact, and agree on a schedule of meetings (the
next to be held by December 31, 2010) to begin implementing this Framework.
c. Meetings of the CLCCG will be held in Washington, DC and in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana on a rotating
basis. These meetings will be organized around concrete agendas to address program design,
financing, governance, and other matters necessary to fully implement this Framework.
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By-laws for Governance
of the Child Labor Cocoa Coordinating Group (CLCCG)
October 24, 2011
I. Purpose of the CLCCG
Recalling that the Framework of Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol is
working to achieve the overarching goal:
By 2020, the worst forms of child labor as defined by ILO Convention 182 in the cocoa sectors of Côte
d’Ivoire and Ghana will be reduced by 70 percent in aggregate through joint efforts by key stakeholders
to provide and support remediation services for children removed from the worst forms of child labor,
including education and vocational training, protective measures to address issues of occupational safety
and health related to cocoa production, and livelihood services for the households of children in cocoa
growing communities; the establishment and implementation of a credible and transparent sector-wide
monitoring system across cocoa growing regions in the two countries; and the promotion of respect for
core labor standards.
And that in order to reach this overarching goal, the Framework will support the development of thriving
cocoa communities fostering safe, healthy, and productive environments for children and families
through coordinated support for new or expanded initiatives in Côte dIvoire and Ghana.
The purpose of the CLCCG is to support the effective implementation of the Framework of Action and
the Joint Declaration to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol in Ghana.
II. Areas of Activity and Responsibility
The CLCCG, with input from the Ivorian and Ghanaian NSCs on Child Labor and technical experts as
appropriate, is responsible for the following:
1. Assessing areas of need for additional action, taking into consideration the following priority factors:
a. The nature, extent and geographical location of the WFCL in cocoa growing areas;
b. Past, current and planned efforts to combat the WFCL, to promote education and training
opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for households, and to establish and implement
child labor monitoring systems in both countries; and
c. Existing gaps in current interventions or programming as identified through consultation
of CLCCG members and other implementing institutions.
2. Assessing and prioritizing new investments to address these areas of need.
3. Determining, based on an established criteria,
1
whether funding for new or increases to existing
activities or programs in Côte dIvoire and Ghana, as proposed by the International Chocolate and
Cocoa Industry (Industry) shall be assessed:
1
See Attachment 1: Criteria for Assessing whether New Programming Should Count Toward Industry Commitment.
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a. As new resources committed by Industry under the Declaration signed on September 13,
2010;
b. As supportive of the overall goals or certain elements of the Framework, but not part of
Industrys commitment of new resources under the Declaration signed on September 13,
2010; or
c. As not related to the overall Framework and therefore not part of Industrys monetary
commitment under the Framework.
4. Encouraging and contributing to coordination across projects that come under the Framework,
ensuring that projects under the Framework are linked to relevant national plans; and fostering
coordination, to the extent possible, with projects that fall outside of the Framework but also have
the potential to contribute towards the achievements of its goal. The CLCCG may develop a
coordination mechanism to facilitate this effort.
5. Establishing credible milestones for measuring commitment and progress toward the achievement
of the overarching goal of the Declaration and its accompanying Framework. The benchmarks will
be unique for each country and will be based on the commitments of specific action on an annual
basis.
6. Establishing in consultation with technical experts, including the ILO, a common set of indicators.
These indicators will enable the CLCCG to both monitor specific types of interventions and track
interim progress towards the Frameworks overarching goal. This will include indicators for at least
the following types of interventions:
a. Remediation services for children under the age of 18 years withdrawn from the Worst
Forms of Child Labor (as defined under ILO 182);
b. Sustainable education and training services provided to children under the age of 18
years as a means of preventing their involvement in the Worst Forms of Child Labor;
c. Efforts that raise awareness or provide ongoing sensitization, including for communities,
on the WFCL;
d. Efforts to promote the development, implementation, and sustainability of the Child
Labor Monitoring Systems in Côte dIvoire and Ghana;
e. Supporting efforts to address workplace hazards and improve workplace safety in a
sustainable manner; and
f. Sustainable livelihood services provided to households of children under the age of 18
years with the intent of supporting the withdrawal or prevention of children from
involvement in the WFCL. Such livelihood services may include support for improvement
in household income, provision of social protection services, or improvement of
community infrastructure that either reduces reliance on the labor of children or
supports a potential opportunity for increased income of the aforementioned
households.
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7. Monitoring progress being made toward achieving milestones.
8. Monitoring and assessing the effectiveness and impact of programs implemented under the
Framework to combat the WFCL. The CLCCG will review progress reports from projects included
under the Framework and may provide feedback as appropriate.
9. Convening an annual briefing to inform representatives of civil society and other key stakeholders
about the status of efforts under the Framework.
III. CLCCG Membership
1. The membership of the CLCCG shall serve without remuneration, fees or honorariums.
2. The CLCCG shall consist of the two types of Members: Principals and Working Group Members. The
CLCCG shall also recognize Key Stakeholders. (See Section III, 2, C)
a. The Principals of the CLCCG shall consist of the Minister responsible for Labor for the
Governments of Côte dIvoire and Ghana, and, at a minimum, the following entities:
1. The Secretary of Labor for the U.S. Department of Labor;
2. Senator Tom Harkin;
3. Congressman Eliot Engel; and
4. A representative of the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry.
b. A Principal may designate a representative to act on their behalf, including for decision-making
purposes.
c. Working Group Members shall conduct the day-to-day business of the CLCCG, engaging in
discussions that lead to decisions by the Principals. Working Group Members shall be made up
of representatives of Financial Partners as defined within the Framework. Each Working Group
entity may include up to 7 members in its delegation, consisting of those parties necessary for it
to consistently and effectively engage in the day-to-day business of the CLCCG, with the
membership of each delegation determined by its Principal.
3. Point of Contact: Each of the aforementioned CLCCG entities shall designate a Point of Contact (POC)
for efforts under the Framework. If any entity changes its designated POC, it must send the name
and contact information to the Secretariat. See Section IV(3).
a. The POC will be available to coordinate with the Secretariat on matters related to the CLCCG, the
Declaration and the Framework.
b. The POC will update the Principals and other CLCCG Working Group Members on relevant
initiatives and maintain official records of relevant CLCCG documents, including notes of
previous meetings and shared foundation documents, including the national plans of action
against the worst forms of child labor.
c. In order to inform the CLCCGs discussion of areas outlined in Section II(1), the POC shall be
responsible for conveying pertinent information and assessments to the CLCCG.
4. Decisions concerning the inclusion of additional entities on CLCCG must be approved by a
consensus of the Principals of the CLCCG as outlined in section 2.a. above. In order to consider a
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motion to expand the CLCCG, the entity offering a new organization for membership must provide
the name and relevant background information about the proposed new entity(s) to each Principal
of the CLCCG at least 30 calendar days prior to a scheduled meeting. All Principals of the CLCCG
must have the opportunity to provide their feedback on the proposal before consensus can be
reached.
IV. Structure of the CLCCG
1. Meetings of the CLCCG will be chaired by a representative of the host government when the
meeting takes place in Côte dIvoire or Ghana. Other meetings will be chaired on a rotating basis by
the other Principals of the CLCCG or as otherwise determined by the members.
2. The host for a given meeting shall be responsible for providing interpretation services as needed and
a venue for the meeting. Each entity of the CLCCG is responsible for its own expenses, such as
travel, accommodation and per diem, if applicable.
3. The CLCCG may also decide to select one of the Financial Partners to serve as a Secretariat to
facilitate operations and regular meetings. The Secretariat would serve a term of one year, unless
extended by an agreement reached through consensus of the Principals and have the following
responsibilities:
a. The Secretariat shall work with the Chair to facilitate a given meeting, including reviewing
summary notes from the preceding meeting, reviewing the meeting agenda, monitoring time
and movement of the group through a given agenda.
b. In the absence of the Chair, the Principals may appoint from among the membership a person to
assume duties of the chair.
c. The Secretariat shall be responsible for developing and maintaining summary notes of the
meetings and distributing copies of summary notes to CLCCG members.
d. The Secretariat shall seek input from members to determine the date, time and agenda for
meetings.
V. Meetings
1. CLCCG Working Group Members shall hold regular meetings, in person or via video conference or
teleconference, on at least a quarterly basis.
2. Meetings where attendance in person is preferred will be hosted on a rotating basis in the United
States,te dIvoire and Ghana or in another mutually agreed upon location.
3. Special meetings or teleconference calls of either the Principals or the Working Group Members may
be held at any time as determined necessary by the Principals or the Working Group Members.
4. The Secretariat shall distribute meeting agendas at least 10 calendar days prior to a scheduled
quarterly meeting or 3 calendar days prior to interim meetings should such meetings be determined
as necessary by the members. Issues which require decisions will be clearly noted in the agenda.
5. Translations and maintenance of documents are the responsibility of each entity. The function of
maintaining relevant records is the role of the POC for each entity.
6. For meetings of the principals or working group that make decisions regarding CLCCG Areas of
Activity and Responsibility (Section II) in either Côte dIvoire or Ghana, a representative of that
government at the appropriate level must be present.
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VI. Committees and Technical Meetings
1. The Principals of the CLCCG may appoint standing and ad hoc committees as needed and include
outside experts as warranted. The role of such committees and ad hoc experts shall be advisory in
nature and shall not be a constraint or a mandate on the Principals of the CLCCG.
2. The Principals and/or Working Group Members of the CLCCG may request meetings on technical
matters that include outside experts. Principals of the CLCCG will seek to reach consensus on such
meeting requests, with clarity on meeting objectives. In the case that consensus can not be reached
at least 2/3s of Principals must agree for a meeting to be held. Such meetings shall be organized and
may include outside experts to discuss methods for evaluation of project interventions which may
include discussions of emerging methodologies or assessing impact on hard-to-reach populations.
VII. Decision-making
1. The CLCCG will endeavor to be a consensus-based group. In the event that a consensus on a
particular issue cannot be reached within the allotted time scheduled for discussions on the matter,
a vote may be called for.
2. If a vote is called for, the following will apply:
a. Passage of a motion requires a 2/3 vote of the Principals of the CLCCG.
b. Any Principal of the CLCCG who is unable to attend a meeting in person or participate in a
conference call may designate another Principal of the CLCCG to serve as their proxy. To do
so, they need to inform the Secretariat and all other Principals of the CLCCG prior to the
meeting. Given that all entities will have 10 calendar days notice of an issue coming before
the CLCCG for consideration at a quarterly meeting or 3 calendar days notice prior to interim
meetings, it is the responsibility of each entity to ensure that they can attend meetings or
designate a proxy. If the appropriate notice has been given and a Principal fails to attend a
meeting or designate a proxy, the group may choose to consider an issue in the absence of
the Principal.
c. Determinations by the CLCCG on whether to consider individual investments or proposed
investments in programming as part of the new resources committed by the International
Chocolate and Cocoa Industry under the Declaration must be based on a decision of the
Principals as described for in this section.
VIII. Conflict of Interest
Any member of the CLCCG who has a financial, personal, or official interest in, or conflict (or
appearance of a conflict) with any matter pending before the CLCCG, of such nature that it prevents or
may prevent that member from acting on the matter in an impartial manner, must offer to voluntarily
excuse him/herself and refrain from participating in the discussion and voting on said item.
IX. Confidential Treatment of Business Proprietary Information
CLCCG Principals and Working Group Members must comply with applicable national laws governing
the release of confidential information. The CLCCG will establish procedures to protect the
confidentiality of any business proprietary information presented or discussed during the course of its
activities. CLCCG members shall not retain copies of business proprietary information that they may
have reviewed, nor disclose proprietary information to any person. Notwithstanding the foregoing
sentence, CLCCG Principals and Working Group members may discuss such information with their
immediate project team, provided that the project team adheres to the same restrictions concerning
proprietary information.
X. Communications
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The CLCCG will establish communication procedures regarding the public dissemination of information
related to the work of the CLCCG, including, but not limited to, criteria utilized in program evaluation,
statements regarding progress toward agreed upon milestones, distribution of meeting summaries and
decisions taken by the CLCCG.
XI. Amendments
These by-laws may be amended by a consensus of the Principals of the CLCCG at any meeting (in
person or via telephone/teleconference), provided that each Principal of the CLCCG is present and is
provided a copy of the proposed amendment(s) at least 10 calendar days prior to said meeting.
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ATTACHMENT 1
Criteria for Assessing whether New Programming Should Count Toward Industry Commitment
Funding committed to the ILO-IPEC Program, as specified in the Framework of Action which accompanies the
signed Declaration, is considered to be within the Framework and does not require further review described in
this section. Notwithstanding, the ILO-IPEC Program should provide its final project document to the CLCCG,
indicating how it will promote a coordinated strategy for combating the WFCL in cocoa growing areas.
Before any determination may be made by the CLCCG on whether to consider individual company investments in
company specific projects or investments made by companies in support of relevant Trade Association or
Foundation programming as part of the new resources committed to by the International Chocolate and Cocoa
Industry under the Declaration, the following criteria must be met:
1. As a general principle, given funding commitments must not have been undertaken prior to
the signing of the Declaration on September 13, 2010. However, each company working
within the Framework of Action will be given the opportunity to discuss specific
circumstances of programming that were planned after discussion began on the Concept
Paper issued by USDOL in June 2010. A company must have notified the CLCCG of its intent
to bring it forward such a proposal by December 31, 2010. The CLCCG will review such
projects intended to be implemented under the Framework and issue a determination on
whether such projects meet the timing exception.
2. The funding must represent an increase in industrys overall commitment for a given
program; and
3. The funding must represent an increase in a given companys commitment over the previous
calendar years baseline funding of the identified program.
Once the factors above have been confirmed, the CLCCG shall use the following questions to help guide their
determination as to whether an individual investment or proposed investment in programming will be
considered part of the new resources committed to by the International Chocolate and Cocoa Industry under the
Declaration:
1. Would a proposed new program or a proposed new investment in an ongoing program support the goals
outlined in the Framework, including promoting a coordinated strategy for combating the WFCL in cocoa
growing areas? This should be demonstrated by addressing at least the following for one or more of the
identified categories:
a. For livelihood, education, and social protection projects: Would the given program target the
withdrawal from, or prevention of, children in the WFCL?
b. For livelihood, education, and social protection projects: Would the program target households
of working children or children at risk of the WFCL?
c. For livelihood, education, and social protection projects: Would the program direct resources to
remediation for households of children withdrawn from the WFCL, including as a result of CLMS
referral efforts?
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d. For capacity building projects: Would the program work with the relevant Government agencies
and ILO to promote implementation of the CLMS in cocoa-growing areas?
e. Would the program direct resources to raise awareness or provide sensitization on the worst
forms of child labor, including for social partners?
f. For infrastructure projects: Would the program direct resources for infrastructure
improvements, which would improve the situation of children so as to promote access to
schooling or otherwise contribute to the reduction of the worst forms of child labor?
g. For education projects: Would the program assess impact on children in terms of educational
participation and work status?
h. For livelihood projects: Would the program assess impact on childrens households in terms of
income and sustainable livelihoods?
2. Would a given program target specific gaps in current services and support relevant national plans in the
country where the interventions would take place?
3. Would a given program prioritize target areas to consider one or all of the following:
a. based on areas of greatest need for remediation of children in WFCL? (For example, areas
selected based on the results of surveys or information collected by the GCLMS or child
protection committees.)
b. based on support national plans that will contribute to a reduction of the WFCL in cocoa growing
areas?
c. in a way that supports the coordinated approach to combating the WFCL in cocoa growing areas
outlined in the Framework?
4. Would a given program be sustainable?
5. Would the project promote and sustain good practices linked to reducing the worst forms of child labor,
including by the assessment of impact and the scaling-up of efforts?
6. Would a given program seek to coordinate with other efforts under the Framework (including the
relevant IPEC projects: (1) Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in West Africa and Strengthening
Sub-Regional Cooperation through ECOWAS; (2) Towards Child Labour Free Cocoa Growing Communities
through an Integrated Area Based Approach; and (3) the designated Industry-IPEC Private-Public
Partnership Program) in order to leverage resources and enhance short term and long term impact of
these efforts?
7. Would a given program be willing to work with the CLCCG to incorporate common indicators into its
monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework?
8. Would a given program make available to the CLCCG and the public information, on funds allocated for
the project, project target areas, regular progress reports, updates on funding expenditures, and
evaluation reports?