List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

There are reports that children, mostly boys as young as seven years old, produce woven textiles under conditions of forced labor in Ethiopia. These children typically work in Addis Ababa, however many come from the south, including Gamo Gofa and Wolaita zones, some of them as victims of trafficking. The trafficked children are often sold to recruiters, and the parents and children are deceived with false promises about the wages and opportunities for education while working. Some of the children sleep at the worksites, held in captivity and isolation, and are not provided with sufficient food. They are punished with physical abuse. Some children are forced to work long hours and overtime, and receive little, if any, pay. 

Amharic Translation

There are reports that children ages 8 to 17 produce khat in Ethiopia.  According to a study from 2017, between 50 percent and 70 percent of khat workers in Wondo Genet’s Chuko town and Aweday, in Eastern Hararge, are children.  Sources estimate that 5,000 children in Aweday are connected to the industry, approximately 2,000 of whom are under age 15.  Although khat (Catha edulis) is legal in Ethiopia, the plant releases two highly addictive central nervous system stimulants – cathinone and cathine – whose acute and long-term neurological effects include khat-induced psychosis.  Children involved in khat cultivation, pruning, and bundling may become addicted to the drug due to contact with excretions from the plant.  Moreover, child laborers are unable to attend school and they work long nights.

Amharic Translation

ILAB has reason to believe that multiple cocoa and chocolate products made in Ghana are produced with an input made with child labor, specifically from cocoa beans produced in Ghana. These products include cocoa paste, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate. Cocoa from Ghana produced with child labor was added to ILAB’s List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Based on the most recently available estimate from NORC at the University of Chicago, the prevalence rate of child labor in cocoa production among cocoa growing households is 55%, meaning an estimated 765,754 children work in child labor in cocoa production in Ghana. These cocoa growing households produce the vast majority of Ghana’s cocoa beans. Thus, products that rely heavily on cocoa beans originating from Ghana are at risk of having an input produced with child labor. The availability of this research demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing labor abuses in the cocoa industry. Nonetheless, the use of child labor in Ghana’s production of cocoa beans remains a significant challenge.

There are reports that children ages 5-17 in Ghana are forced to work in the fishing industry, assisting primarily in the catching of tilapia, but also of such fish as mudfish, silverfish, catfish, latefish, and electric fish. According to the most recently available data from universities, NGOs, government raids, and international organizations, hundreds of children in the Lake Volta region have been rescued from the fishing industry, in which they were forced to undertake such tasks as diving to untangle fishing nets from underwater tree stumps. Children are often trafficked from the Volta, Central, Eastern, or Ashanti regions to Tato and other Lake Volta communities to work. Some of the children forced to work in the fishing industry are working in bonded labor after being sold or sent by their parents under a one- to three-year contract, for which the parents are promised payment on agreed-upon intervals. The children frequently are paid little, if at all, and are forced to work long hours. The children forced to work in the fishing industry often live with their employers, where they face physical violence and are not provided with sufficient food. 

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 14 are involved in the weaving of textiles in Ghana. Based on an analysis of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, an estimated 23,856 child laborers are involved in the weaving of textiles. There are numerous health and safety issues associated with the textile industry. These hazards include chemical exposure from the processing and dyeing of materials, exposure to cotton and other organic dusts, musculoskeletal stresses, and noise exposure. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 14 are involved in the growing of rice in Ghana. Based on an analysis of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, an estimated 19,124 child laborers are involved in the growing of rice. There are some health and safety issues associated with the growing of rice that include extended time out in the sun, burns from the parboiling process, and infections from harvesting in the rice paddies. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.

There is evidence that children ages 5 to 14 are involved in the raising of bovines in Ghana. Based on an analysis of the Ghana Living Standards Survey, an estimated 10,049 child laborers are involved in the raising of bovines. The ILO has found, depending on the conditions, that herding, shepherding, and handling livestock may be considered as hazardous work. Injuries from animals include being bitten, butted, jostled, stamped on, gored, or trampled. Large and small animals do not need to be aggressive to cause serious harm or even kill a child. Children rarely wear protective shoes or boots, and this increases their risk for additional injuries and illnesses such as cuts, wounds, bruises, thorn injuries, skin disorders, and infections. Diseases can be contracted through routine contact with animals, insects, pathogens in animal carcasses, and work near livestock stabling areas and butchering houses. The release of this survey demonstrates the Government of Ghana’s commitment to addressing child labor and its acknowledgement that data collection is vital to the design and implementation of sound policies and programs.