The Problem of Child Labor in West Africa - Essay Example

The Dark Side of Chocolate of TA: Introduction As the documentary shows prevalence of childlabor in the West African cocoa farms; the situation has worsened today and more casualties have been involved in the abuse. This paper will explore on the causes of child abuse in the West Africa cocoa farms and come up with policies that can facilitate a containment of the problem. I will argue that child labor in West Africa cocoa farms is caused by negligence and failure of the responsible authority from coming up with strategies and relevant measures to curb the menace. I will also establish my own policies that can be applied in reducing the impacts of the problem. Main social issues connected with the chocolate trade They are hundreds of thousands and are forced to work as slaves with little or no pay at all. They work under the harshest conditions that include receiving all sorts of mistreatment from their bosses; they are beaten up, being locked in small huts, and are badly fed with an unbalanced diet. They usually rely on the bananas and the cocoa fruits that they eat. Latest statistics estimates reveal that approximately twelve thousand to two hundred thousand children are taken as slaves in West Africa. They work for twelve hours to fifteen hours in a day, and they are ten to twelve years old. Ironically, in all the countries where slave trade is carried out, slavery is illegal but the laws are bent, and slavery is practiced at a high rate. One of the West African countries that have deteriorated in its practice of child labor is the Ivory Coast. Every year, there is an approximate value of three million tons of chocolate that are consumed in the whole world (The film). Ivory Coast is the primary supplier of Chocolate in the entire world with forty-three percent of the total worlds supplied cocoa. However, the success of this industry is dependent on how many children are exploited under the child labor practices. From the Documentary, it is shown how thousands of Malian children are transported to Ivory Coast by rogue slave traders the trade remains unknown by most of the laws enforcers since the farms are small and isolated. Traders are usually found hanging in the bus stations and targets children who are alone or those begging for food. They then lure them to travel to Ivory Coast with them, and then they exchange the abducted children with farmers who are in a need of cheap labor with money. Most of the farms are found in the plains where access of people is rare hence nobody can recognize the presence of the illegal trade among the population of West Africa. Initial works by Knight Rider newspapers that had published a series of these slaves lead to a shedding of light on how the trade was being conducted in Ivory Coast. However, the Government came out opposing the allegations and agreed to form a task force to investigate the claims. Additionally, in the documentary, a representative of the chocolate manufacturers claims that they play no role in the supply chain (The film). However, the plantations owners have tentatively disclaimed their participation in the child abuse practices. The prevalence of the cases of child abuse in the form of slavery in West African countries has raised an alarm to the rest of the world. International economic community has raised their concerns in the practice. There are direct and indirect perpetrators of this menace; direct perpetrators are the farmers, Ivorian and the American Governments and European chocolate manufacturers. Indirect perpetrators are the consumers who buy the chocolate unknowingly, without tracing the chocolate chain of distribution. Consequently, there has arisen an extensive debate regarding the measures or strategies that ought to be established to avert the situation. Some of the issues that have been in consideration include; the causes of the slave trade in relation to the Economic system and the countries dependence on the unstable export crop. Another issue of great concern is how the different parties in the whole chocolate industry respond to the problem. The parties whose actions have been in watch list include the Government and the consumers. Analysts have considered the efficacy of boycotting the consumption of several brands of chocolates whose roots in the production chain can be traced to the child slavery. Due to the complexity of the whole issue, it becomes hard for a long lasting solution to be devised. Policy Solutions There is a necessity to come develop viable policies that that can help in the eradication of this horrendous condition of child slavery. The reason the entire situation is appalling is the fact that chocolate is associated with happiness and pleasure; ironically, the production of the product is full of misery and the outcry of the children. Hence, one part of the world is full of suffering while the other part is full of joy as a result of chocolate consumption. Therefore, it is indisputable fact that the problem of child slavery in West Africa is a worldwide problem and does not involve only those who are directly affected. Any policies that can be devised should be local, national, or international in scale – or maybe a combination of all three (Athreya, 2011). To be able to come up with viable policies to stop the vice, it is necessary to understand what motivates the Cocoa farmers to source for child labor. They are aware that it is an illegal undertaking and inhuman. According to Athreya (2011), the major causes of this vice are the unstable global market prices of cocoa. Consequently, this is beyond their control. They claim that the remuneration received is too little to be able to hire qualified labor that makes them resort to hiring cheap child labor. Another major contributor to the problem is the poverty that faces the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali. From the documentary watched, it is evident that the rate of poverty in those countries is immense. To some extent that it leaves a majority of the population desperate such that they can do anything to make a living for themselves. Due to the high poverty levels, children do not receive substantial education and ends up remaining idle for most of their lives. Hence, they are easily targeted by the rogue traders. Others migrate to Ivory Coast since they have a perception that in a foreign country, there is a more likelihood of getting meaningful employment opportunities. Therefore, the problem is a social, political and economic problem. Cost Reduction Policy The first policy that I would propose would be targeted to improve the costs offered to farmers. In the cocoa industry, farmers are paid according to the fluctuating price of cocoa. When prices go down, farmers pay their workers less or hire cheap labor. This is done to compensate for the lower profit margins. The policy would target to remove the exploitative middlemen and other companies that claim to act for the benefit of farmers, but they only seek to achieve their self-interests. The national Government can only implement this policy through collaborating with the international community. Poorly paid farmers and workers usually fall as the principal victims of market forces that are in the globalized economy. Despite the economic analysis elucidating that globalization causes an increase in wealth in the world, the wealth is unequally distributed and leads to a rise in the number of marginalized groups (Berlan, 2012). Child labor is mostly prevalent in the parts of the society where profits are low and demands are high. Therefore, there are two scenarios that are found in existence, a competition to maintain the global market standards and reduce the cost of production by the employers. Therefore, the policy that I am proposing would ensure that the profit that reaches the farmer is increased while maintaining the global economy standards (Athreya, 2011). Farmers in poor countries resort to child labor in order to lower the production costs while retaining the fluctuating world prices. There exist international middlemen who age retailers and wholesalers; they receive the highest share in the cocoa trade resulting in farmers receiving the lowest share. Children make the best employees since they are cheap to obtain, obedient, and they rarely fight for their rights. Therefore, as long as the prices are not modified by removing the middlemen in the chain of distribution, child labor will remain a thorn in the flesh of the world. Consumers have little role to play in ensuring fair prices in the global market. Alternatively, the Government can source for direct markets for the cocoa exports in the international markets. Awareness Creation Policy The second policy that I would propose entails creating awareness of other openings available for the poor to make a living without being exploited. The plan would also include creating a self-awareness and coming up with viable strategies to reduce the level of poverty in the countries affected by the plague of child labor. The policy would include measures to be taken by the Government and the community administrators to empower residents hence reducing the level of poverty. According to several researches that have been carried out, poverty is one of the determinants of child labor. Studies reveal that as the economic pressure increases, child labor increases, on the other hand. Both factors are directly proportional. It is evident that in families where parents promote child labor, they do it as a result of lack of a better option. Mostly, in families that depend on a lower income, children are the first culprit since the parents use them for survival. Ironically, in the long run, these will cause more poverty. Child labor denies the children a right to receive education and this practice in the long run would reduce the poverty since the children would have acquired a formal employment for themselves. Therefore, child labor is not only a direct factor that causes child labor, but the first stage of multiple child abuse cases in the future. Some of the programs that the policy I would propose would seek to implement are; introduction of Government funds that will help groups in the society to come up with income generating ideas to turn them into projects that would be entirely or partly be financed by the Government. Another program is a community-based program where the rich would help the poor to gain a livelihood by providing them with grants or absorb members of the community in their enterprises (Cogneau & Jedwab, 2012). However, the initiative would have to be planned well to avoid any misunderstandings in the society that would result in a disharmony. Constant Monitoring Policy Lastly, I would propose a policy that would ensure a constant monitoring of all the farms. The practice this would be possible by forming a task force that will be custodian of all the data pertaining all the cocoa farms relevant information. The information would range from the data of all their employees, salaries paid and the terms of service of their employees. Additionally, all the farms should be submitting their profits and loss accounts to the task force to evaluate their capabilities of employing trained and a mature workforce. Previously Global Chocolate manufacturers had signed a voluntary agreement that was commonly referred to as Harkin-Engel Protocol. The protocol was an indication that they recognize the presence of forced child labor in West Africa, and they were committed to helping solve the problem. They established an initiative referred to as International Cocoa Initiative, it is an international foundation that would be tasked with overseeing their efforts to control the problem. One of their efforts was to ensure a system that world identify those chocolate brands that are linked to child labor. They were also focused to establish a registration bureau of all the cocoa farms in West Africa, relevant data of their owners and their employees (McKenzie, Swails & Daloa, 2012). If it happens that any of the employers was found guilty of the menace, a stern action would be taken upon them and denied their cocoa absconded by the buyers. Any other initiative that would ensure that all the children attend schools would be helpful. Any parent whose children is founded out of school at any time and legal action would be taken against them. However, this requires a formulation of legislation that would involve the state law officials. Community policing can also be viable in reducing the instances of occurrence of the problem. Community administrators who have information on every member of their society would help in following up to ensure no child abuse is conducted by both the parents and the cocoa farmers. Conclusion In summary, Child labor in West Africa cocoa farms is caused by negligence and failure of the responsible authority from coming up with strategies and relevant measures to curb the menace. In the paper, I have established my own policies that can be applied in reducing the impacts of the problem. Child labor is caused by social, economic and political factors. Solutions to the problems must be focused on the factors causing it. References Athreya, B. (2011). White Mans" Burden" and the New Colonialism in West African Cocoa Production. Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, 5(1), 51-59. Berlan, A. (2012). Good chocolate? An examination of ethical consumption in cocoa. Ethical Consumption: Social Value and Economic Practice, 43. Cogneau, D., & Jedwab, R. (2012). Commodity Price Shocks and Child Outcomes: The 1990 Cocoa Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 60(3), 507-534. McKenzie, D., Swails, B., & Daloa, I. C. C. (2012). Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find. Cable News Network, The CNN Freedom Project. Ending modern day slavery. Consulta realizada el, 5. The Film: The Dark Side of Chocolate retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vfbv6hNeng Read More