A new study looks at systems to find, fix and prevent child labour. Here’s why it matters.

160 million. According to the United Nations, that’s the estimated number of children trapped in child labour around the world. It’s both an astonishing and distressing number – one that indicates an 8.4 million increase over the last four years. And one that incriminates the COVID-19 pandemic as a leading impediment in the fight against child labour, having limited children’s access to education, health services, food and protection.

While 2021 marks the global community’s observance of the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, it also represents a catalysing moment in which stakeholders must take stock of their efforts in eradicating child labour and understand what more can be done… and what can be done better.

“In order to better protect children from harmful work, it is critical that we understand the systems that farmers and workers are using to prevent, detect and remediate child labour,” explains Anita Sheth, Senior Advisor for Social Compliance and Development at Fairtrade.

“That’s why at Fairtrade we commissioned a study to look at two different child labour monitoring and remediation systems and learn how producers assess them on a range of factors in order to provide insights that will benefit all stakeholders, from farmers and governments to companies and NGOs,” Sheth continues. “Only in that way can we truly build a better understanding of how these stakeholders can successfully play their critical role in eradicating child labour in agriculture and throughout supply chains.”

The two systems evaluated were the Internal Control System, and the Fairtrade Youth-Inclusive Community-Based Monitoring and Remediation system for child labour.

Internal Control Systems monitor compliance with specific control points related to standards and laws, and are focused on all farm activities. This system involves commercial partners when needed.

The Fairtrade Youth-Inclusive Community-Based Monitoring and Remediation (YICBMR) system, on the other hand, covers areas of farm production as well as the broader community. It actively engages Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade farms, including young people themselves, and brings in government entities, companies, and civil society to share information and take action.

More than 180 producers and 122 community members, including children, from four countries – India, Ghana, Belize and the Dominican Republic – were interviewed or participated in focus group discussions to share their views. Different stakeholders from within the Fairtrade system were also interviewed as participants in different aspects of Fairtrade’s certification process and support to producers.

The study found that both systems are effective for their intended scope: the Internal Control System for monitoring compliance on farms, and the Fairtrade Youth-Inclusive Community-Based Monitoring and Remediation system for addressing child labour risks and cases in a deeper way and engaging communities and governments.

The YICBMR system was considered more effective in many aspects, including finding and removing children from harmful labour, as well as engaging communities, governments and young people themselves. The Internal Control System was perceived as slightly more effective with regard to trader engagement, and as more cost-efficient in the short term. However, if the YICBMR system becomes integrated within national action plans for the elimination of child labour and into community structures, it can result in deeper impact and longer-term financial sustainability.