The tobacco industry likes to portray itself as a positive economic force. Yet tobacco farmers across Africa face a harsh economic reality: The industry derives such huge profits in part because it maneuvers to pay as little as possible for the crop that is the basis for its products.
This practice is unfair and perpetuates inequality. What’s more, the cycle of poverty that tobacco farmers must confront perpetuates child labor in this industry.
Discussions about child labor often focus on countries instead of global businesses. The International Labour Organization and UNICEF recently cited population growth, recurrent crises, extreme poverty, and inadequate social protection measures as the reasons for rampant child labor in Africa.
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About the author
Leonce Dieudonné Sessou
Leonce Dieudonné Sessou is executive secretary at the African Tobacco Control Alliance, which is dedicated to the prevention of a tobacco epidemic in Africa. Leonce oversees the alliance’s interventions by providing guidance to civil society organizations for monitoring, exposing, and denouncing tobacco industry interference. He currently coordinates monitoring and response initiatives in 15 countries to support the implementation of policies compliant with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
