Harkin-Engel Protocol - 2011 Status Update

2011 Status Update

Household surveys and governmental research in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana showed that there were 1.8 million children working in cocoa agriculture. About 5% in Côte d’Ivoire and 10% in Ghana worked for pay. Children are commonly involved in hazardous work and some are still involved in the worst forms of child labor.

Between 2001 and 2009, several thousand children were involved in remediation activities including in each country. These activities include withdrawal, rehabilitation, reinsertion, education and vocational training and these efforts were attributed to funding related to the Harkin-Engel Protocol. Less than 5% of all children were exposed to activities related to the protocol.

In 2011, the Payson Center reported the cocoa industry has not fully completed any of the six articles. Industry had not completed the 2005 Joint Statement commitment of certification for 50% of the growing areas in the two countries, much less the 2008 Joint Statement commitment of remediation activities in 100% of the growing areas. Côte d’Ivoire had only achieved remediation in 3.8% and Ghana in 31% of the growing areas.

The cocoa industry still has to prove it can self-regulate. The Payson Center recommended the industry create a certification system that can assure consumers the worst forms of child labor are not used in production, create an independent verification of that certification system, implement child labor monitoring systems, and increase remediation activities to address the worst forms of child labor.