The rate of child labor in Africa has now increased to four times that of any other area, according to recent research.
Here are five popular products that are being sourced by child workers in Africa.
- Cotton: Per the European Union, cotton is one of the most commonly made products using child labor. Often grown in Africa, overall, 37 out of 53 nations on the continent produce cotton, comprising six percent of the global output of the material. In approximately 18 countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Zambia, the product is harvested using forced child labor.
In Burkina Faso alone, 50% of all boys ranging from 10 to 17 or above work on a cotton farm, according to the Department of Labor. Often trafficked to work on these farms, they work under 12 or 17-month contracts and are sometimes unpaid. Popular brands such as Victoria’s Secret have been found to use cotton that has been obtained through child labor for their products.
- Cocoa: The chocolate industry has been notoriously linked with child labor. Children as young as five have been found to be working in cocoa fields in places such as Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria. Per the Department of Labor, in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana alone, 1.56 million children are required to work in cocoa fields as part of forced child labor, producing 60% of cocoa production yearly.
Approximately 43% of these children are put through hazardous work as they’re required to use machetes, burn the fields, lift the product and are exposed to toxic chemicals while working. Companies that have been accused of exploiting child labor in these regions as third-party companies include Nestle, Mars, Hershey and Cargill.
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- Diamonds: For decades, children in Africa have been part of the diamond mining industry. In 2009, Harvard University researchers released a report on the conditions of mining in Sierra Leone. Out of 120,000 people involved in artisanal mining, 10,000 people were identified as children, ranging from the ages of 10 to 17. Often working 10-hour shifts, the children were forced to travel and shovel material for low or no wages while also undergoing routine injuries.
The number of children forced into mining for diamonds continues to increase across the continent a decade after the report was released. In the Central African Republic alone, child labor at diamond mines increased by 50% once the COVID pandemic hit and schools shut down, according to a report by Reuters.
- Tobacco: Arguably considered one of the most popular plants, tobacco is often harvested using child labor, particularly in Zimbabwe. Per AP News, children as young as five work alongside their parents in tobacco fields to help support their families. Through contact with the plant, the children are put in dangerous conditions where they’re susceptible to nicotine poisoning, respiratory symptoms, chest pains and other side effects. Although the law prohibits children below 16 from working, harvesting tobacco is not included in laws that prevent child labor, according to Human Rights Watch.
Today @USDOL’s ILAB released its latest child labor report and list of goods produced by #ChildLabor or #ForcedLabor. The reports highlight labor abuses abroad: https://t.co/ay0nzxvvjP pic.twitter.com/bd85YJtHd2
— U.S. Department of Labor (@USDOL) September 30, 2020
- Sugarcane: Child labor in the sugarcane industry is most prevalent in Kenya and Uganda, according to the International Labour Organization. In both countries, approximately 30% of boys ages 10 and up are forced into working in sugarcane fields for money for their families or studies.
In Uganda alone, 79% of the children forced into child labor were working to harvest sugarcane either to help their families or themselves survive after being orphaned. The work on sugarcane fields is arduous and hazardous as the younger, under 18 children are forced to cut thick stalks of the plant with heavy machinery such as machetes or cane knives.
