A response to the BBC Panorama report on child labour in West African cocoa industry

BBC's Panorama programme, aired on BBC on Wednesday 24th March 2010 highlighted some key issues within the chocolate industry that were both alarming and reassuring.

It is saddening to know that there are still families in Western Africa so poor that children are trafficked to work on cocoa farms.

Whilst it is clear that there are children in Cote d'Ivorie and Ghana that still do not have access to education and are forced to work on plantations using dangerous equipment, it is also clear that the Fairtrade model can provide a viable framework for tackling these problems.

Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana is the largest cocoa farmer's co-operative in the World and one of the oldest certified suppliers of Fairtrade cocoa. It has identified and put procedures in place including internal control systems, training, awareness raising and outreach, scholarship scheme, kids camps and most importantly, the building of schools to try and eliminate the problem of child labour.

Whilst it was sad to learn from the programme that child trafficking has taken place in Kuapa Kokoo, it is reassuring to know that due to the Fairtrade auditing process the issues were identified and remedied swiftly. It was encouraging to see Kuapa Kokoo go a step further, to identify areas of failing standards and put measures in place to deal with issues. This is a clear indication of it's strength and integrity as an established organisation and that Fairtrade empowers farmers to tackle these difficult problems.

It would be naïve to think that these cultural and what appear to be desperate behaviours are going to disappear overnight. What is vital is that the control and power is given back to the people who know how to overcome these issues and change things for themselves, for now and for the future.

Panorama also undercovered the use of unpaid child labourers at the newly certified Fairtrade Co-operative in Cote d'Ivorie which supplies Nestle. We welcome the Fairtrade Foundation's urgent investigation and action into the matter and await the findings with anticipation. It is unacceptable that children are deprived of a childhood to pick cocoa.

In the meantime, rest assured that any item that you buy with the Fairtrade logo is your guarantee that there are rigorous standards in place and that action is taken if a problem arises. It guarantees that a fair price has been paid to the farmer along with a premium to the co-operative. This extra payment is vital for them to start taking control of key issues like child labour and education.

As Wales is the World's first and only Fair Trade Nation, we can continue to lead the way and support a system that not only guarantees a fair price, but allows communities in developing countries to start tackling key issues for themselves.

If you missed it catch up here - or read about it on the BBC website.
Chocolate industry comments to Panorama.
Read the Fairtrade Foundation's response here.
Harriet Lamb, Director of the Fairtrade Foundation has also blogged on the subject.
Share your thoughts here.