Shortly thereafter, the House passed H.Amdt.142 to P.L.107-76 , FY2002 Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Appropriations , which would have provided $250,000 to the Food and Drug Administration to beused to develop a label for chocolate products indicating that no child slave labor had been used inthe growing and harvesting of cocoa in a product so labeled. A Senate companion bill was neverintroduced, in part because after House passage of the bill, representatives of the cocoa industry, theInternational Labor Organization (ILO), several private labor rights groups, and Members ofCongress, negotiated "a comprehensive, six-point problem-solving" protocol aimed at ending the"use of abusive child labor in cocoa growing." This report provides background on the production of cocoa and discusses the issue of childlabor in the industry, efforts by Congress, including the Harkin-Engel Protocol, and those of othergovernments, international organizations, and non-governmental groups to address the problem. Italso discusses potential policy options that might accomplish that end. Child Labor in the West African Cocoa Sector(7)

Reports of children being trafficked to work on cocoa farms, and stories of children workingunder abusive conditions began to emerge in 2000. The extent to which West African cocoa producers employ child labor is, in part, a functionof economic factors. According to representatives of the cocoa/chocolate industry, anti-child labor programs inCÃ´te d'Ivoire and Ghana have made significant progress toward fulfilling the terms of theHarkin-Engel Protocol. In Ghana, a similar process hasalso been undertaken in five districts. On July 1, 2005, Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel, and the Chocolate/CocoaIndustry released a joint statement on efforts to address the worst forms of child labor in cocoagrowing. In the statement, the industry highlighted the positive steps taken since signing theProtocol, and committed to ensuring that 50% of cocoa growing areas would be under a certificationsystem within three years. and international support. (53) The government of CÃ´te d'Ivoire has reportedly spent more than$1 million on countering abusive child labor in cocoa production -- largely through STCP.
Stories of children being trafficked to work under horrific conditions in West African cocoafields emerged in 2000. Shortly thereafter, in 2001, Congress passed H.Amdt. 142 to P.L. 107-76 , FY2002 Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Appropriations , which would have provided $250,000 to the Food and Drug Administration, to beused to develop a label for chocolate products indicating that no child slave labor had been used inthe growing and harvesting of cocoa in a product so labeled. A Senate companion bill was neverintroduced, in part because after House passage of the bill, representatives of the cocoa industry, theInternational Labor Organization (ILO), several private labor rights groups, and Members ofCongress, negotiated "a comprehensive, six-point problem-solving" protocol aimed at ending the"use of abusive child labor in cocoa growing." Signatories to the protocol committed to developinga certification process that would ensure that no abusive child labor would be used in cocoaproduction. It is currently being debated whether the protocol has been implemented in full by itsJuly 1, 2005 deadline. Critics contend that the cocoa/chocolate industry fell short of itscommitments, as it has only developed a pilot certification scheme in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire --which does not encapsulate the entire West African cocoa producing region. The industry countersthat significant progress has been made, the affected governments have contributed significantresources towards this endeavor, and that this is a work in progress. According to a joint statementreleased by Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Eliot Engel, and the cocoa/chocolate industry onJuly 1, 2005, the cocoa/chocolate industry has committed to expanding its pilot certification system to cover 50% of the cocoa growing areas of Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana within three years.
There has been a wide range of suggestions in countering the use of abusive child labor incocoa production. Some advocate revoking trade preferences. Others point to the root cause of childlabor: poverty. Those analysts suggest boosting investments in education, and boosting world cocoaprices. Still some observers assert that conflict and political instability will hinder any effort tocounter abusive child labor.
This report outlines how and where cocoa is produced, discusses the use of abusive childlabor in the industry, efforts by Congress to counter abusive child labor -- including theHarkin-Engel Protocol, and initiatives by affected governments and international organizations toaddress the problem. This report also provides possible policy options that might undertaken to stopthe use of child labor in cocoa production. This report will be periodically updated.