1. What actually happens when child labour is found in a Fairtrade supply chain?
When child labour is found by Fairtrade auditors, producers are suspended from the Fairtrade system, and remedial work is undertaken to address and rectify the situation to work towards allowing producers back into the system. It is also reported to the local government authorities.
2. How could Traidcraft have continued selling Divine chocolate when its producer Kuapa Kokoo was temporarily suspended from the Fairtrade system?
Under the Fairtrade system, when a producer is suspended, they can continue to sell their products for up to six months, but are restricted from entering into new contracts. We fully support this approach as it enables poor producers to continue earning much needed income while they resolve the issue. As was shown in the Panorama programme, Kuapa Kokoo acted robustly and compassionately once the use of child labour by seven of its 45,000 farmers was identified by a Fairtrade audit, so that its Fairtrade status could be restored.
3. Why weren’t we told about this at the time?
Results of the audits conducted by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation are confidential. We are made aware when suppliers are suspended but not the reasons for suspension.
4. How can we be sure this won’t happen again?
We can’t. No auditing system can give 100% guarantee, but the transparency and accountability which underpin the Fairtrade system mean we can be confident that when problems are found, they are dealt with appropriately. The programme highlighted another large Fairtrade-certified producer co-operative in Ivory Coast (Kavokiva) where an example of child labour was taking place and had not yet been identified by Fairtrade auditors. We are aware that on the basis of this information the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation is already taking action to work alongside that producer group and make sure those further instances are tackled.
5. Where does Traidcraft’s cocoa come from?
The cocoa used in Traidcraft’s own brand chocolate products comes from a variety of sources. We do not source any of it directly but are supplied by other Fair Trade Organisations throughout Europe or other chocolate manufacturers whose supply chains are certified by the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. Much of the cocoa in our chocolate bars is from Latin America (Bolivia, Peru and the Dominican Republic). The cocoa in Geobar, chocolate spread or used as coating around raisins or nuts comes from West African and Latin American Fairtrade certified producers: mostly the Dominican Republic, Ghana and also the Ivory Coast.
The questions and answers below are from the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation, which is responsible for certifying and auditing Fairtrade producers.
6. Are children allowed to work at all in the Fairtrade system?
Child labour as defined by the ILO* is prohibited. This means that children under the age of 15 cannot be hired and no child can be engaged in work that compromises their health, education and/or development.
However:
a. At the beginning of certification, child labour might be occurring (e.g. because in the past the operator used children as workers). In this case, the operator has a maximum of 1 year to rectify the situation and take proper care of the children, mainly by providing them access to a schooling system. (This excludes worst forms of child labour, which must never occur);
b. Prohibition of child labour does not mean that children cannot help their parents to undertake light agricultural work after school and during holidays within certain restrictions such as reasonable work, work time and under parents’ guidance.
7. How do Fairtrade organisations work to reduce and eliminate the worst forms of child labour in global supply chains?
Fairtrade is working to strengthen the position of farmers and workers around the world, and enable them to get a better deal from international trade. Fairtrade has many tools to support work to reduce and eliminate child labour. These include:
- Fairtrade standards, based on ILO Conventions, to which producers are required to work, that prohibit the worst forms of child labour. Fairtrade also works to support farmers in becoming democratically organized, so that they can build up their own programmes of activity on anything from improving their farming practices to tackling child labour.
- Auditing and certification processes, which check that producer organizations and traders are compliant with Fairtrade standards, or seek corrective action if they are not, with the aim of continuously improving work to tackle problems that farmers, their families and communities are facing.
- A Fairtrade minimum price guarantee and additional Fairtrade premium, which supplies more resources to farming communities, enabling them to address some of the underlying issues of poverty and provide adequate schooling in their communities.
* The ILO is the International Labour Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations which brings together governments, employers and workers to promote social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights.
