Europe calls for an end to child labour

15 March 2012 – European Parliament has formally approved the 2010 International Cocoa Agreement, which encourages international cooperation in the world cocoa industry.

Additionally, MEPs have adopted a motion for a resolution on child labour in the cocoa sector. It is a difficult challenge to find sustainable solutions to address child labour in the context of smallholder farming, which is the prevalent model for cocoa production in the Sub-Saharan region.

"Appalling numbers of children are engaged in hazardous activities on cocoa fields. The new International Cocoa Agreement will give us more instruments to address this issue but more needs to be done. All policymakers and stakeholders involved in cocoa production must live up to their responsibilities to eradicate child labour from cocoa production," says rapporteur Vital Moreira (SD, PT), in a debate with development commissioner Andris Piebalgs before the vote. The resolution was passed by a show of hands.

The resolution also called for creating accredited, third party audited traceability for the supply chain. It urges governments, industries and traders to press growers and producers to abide by conventions on child workers under the International Labour Organization (ILO).