Did you know that some of your favorite foods may be produced with child labor? The U.S. Labor Department, for example, named coffee as a product associated with child labor risk in 17 countries. This risk also remains widespread in cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate: more than 60% of it is grown in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where child labor remains widespread.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 635 million students are affected by full or partial school closures, UNICEF announced last week. And shuttered schools combined with frozen economies means more children are driven into the workforce, according to a recent report by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.
A staggering estimate of 160 million children worldwide are involved in child labor, according to a 2021 International Labour Organization report based on data collected before pandemic-induced school closures. This marks an 8.4 million increase since 2016.
About the author
Kunera Moore
Kunera Moore is the global theme lead for child labor at the Rainforest Alliance. She leads the organization's child labor strategy and develops tools, training, and other support for farmers, civil society organizations, and business partners to better tackle child labor in agricultural supply chains. Moore brings more than 20 years of experience in human rights and sustainable development in international supply chains.
