This work could look like handling pesticides on a cocoa farm or cleaning dangerous equipment in a slaughterhouse.
- There are 138 million child laborers globally. nearly half of which are performing hazardous work.
- Nearly 40% of child laborers are in hazardous work.
- 61% of child labor is in the agriculture sector
- 57% of child laborers are between the ages of 5 – 11
Child labor and poverty are inextricably linked. Children are often pushed into dangerous work due to poverty. And, child laborers often miss out on an education which may have enabled them to get out of poverty. It is a vicious cycle and one we have a responsibility to act on.
Child Labor in the United States
Child labor is on the rise in the United States.
- An estimated 300,000 to 500,000 children are working in the US agriculture industry alone.
- From 2015 to 2022, the number of minors employed in violation of child labor laws rose by 283%.
- Since 2021, 31 states have introduced laws to weaken child labor protections.
Meatpacking
Major U.S. corporations are putting children as young as 13 to work in dangerous jobs they are too young to perform and that are hazardous to their health. In the meatpacking industry, children are working hazardous conditions on cleaning crews in slaughterhouses – surrounded by dangerous machinery that can easily rip off a person’s arm.
This is exactly the type of work children should never be exposed to – but, the largest meatpackers, JBS, Perdue, Cargill, and Tyson Foods, all have documented cases of child labor in their operations in recent years.
Fast food restaurants
Big fast-food companies are employing children as young as ten years old to work hours so long that it negatively impacts their education or in dangerous conditions, including manually operating deep fryers and loading trash compactors. And, there have been nearly six times as many child labor law violations in the food service industry in the last ten years.
Major fast-food companies, including McDonald’s, Jersey Mike’s, Sonic Drive-In, Baskin-Robbins, and Chick-fil-A, have documented cases of child labor at franchises locations.
Child Labor in Cocoa
Child laborers in cocoa carry heavy loads, work with dangerous tools, and are exposed to hazardous agrichemicals – all of which negatively impact their health.
Child labor takes a big toll on the health and development of children. A 2020 study on the prevalence of child labor in the West African cocoa sector found:
- More than 40% of children interviewed reported feeling very tired or exhausted because of child labor.
- 34% of children were in very bad pain.
- 25% felt very sick.
- 12% had to receive medical treatment.
Of the children surveyed, 50% were only 5-11 years old. 57% of the child laborers were boys and 43% were girls.
Looking for better chocolate options?
While the major chocolate companies still have work to do to address child labor in their supply chains, many smaller brands already offer fair trade chocolate options—which means they have long-term, direct relationships with their farmers and guarantee a minimum price. Check out these brands.
