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FrançaisNew publication on child labour in cotton production
12.2007, Alexandra Perschau
The British Environmental Justice Foundation just published another sad report outlining the extensive use of child labour in global cotton production.
The report "The children behind our cotton" draws the readers attention to the fact, that child labour in cotton production is disturbingly common. Six of the world's top seven cotton producers have been reported to use child labour in the field. The UN International Programme against child labour states that most working children in the world are found on farms and plantations, not in factories, sweatshops or urban areas.
The report shows that there is a clear link between low cotton prices and the use of child labour. Children are involved in all stages of cotton production: Sowing, weeding, spraying pesticides, carrying water for irrigation, manually harvesting the cotton, fill and carry full sacks and load them onto trucks etc.
Aside from the hard labour children have to do, they often face very poor living conditions on the farms and risk physical threats. For example, in Uzbekistan, children who fail to meet state-imposed quotas, or pick poor quality cotton, experience verbal or physical abuse, detention, or are told that their school results will suffer; physical abuse is common for children across West Africa. West Africa. Girls in India, Pakistan and China have been reported to suffer sexual harassment and even rape.
The reports ends with a list of recommendations, from practical measures, such as a labelling scheme to identify the country of origin of the cotton to address transparency of sourcing or manufacturing. Consumers should demand a clear labelling from their retailers and they should require transparency from the other actors in the supply chain. On the political level, international pressure should be brought to bear all countries that have yet to ratify ILO Conventions on child labour and secure the implementation of it.
The report "The Children behind our Cotton" (2007) can be downloaded at the website of Environmental Justice Foundation at http://www.ejfoundation.org/page93.html
Author: Alexandra Perschau, PAN Germany, Germany; alexandra.perschau(at)pan-germany.org, http://www.pan-germany.org