Imagine walking into your local supermarket and picking up a bar of chocolate or a new smartphone without a second thought. The convenience of modern life often blinds us to the reality that the raw materials and labor behind these everyday products may come from sources that exploit children. Hidden deep within global supply chains, child labor continues to fuel industries that produce the goods we consume daily. Despite growing awareness and regulatory efforts, millions of children worldwide remain trapped in hazardous work environments. Although the issue is complex, through increased transparency, technological innovations, and targeted initiatives, meaningful progress can be made to combat child exploitation.
Figure 1: Children working (source: International Business Times)
The Global Scope of Child Labor
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), an alarming 152 million children worldwide are still affected by child labor. Almost 70% of them work in agriculture, often in unsafe conditions. While industries such as cocoa, coffee and cotton are often associated with child labor, the problem also extends to sectors such as electronics and mining. In regions such as Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, which together produce about 60% of the world’s cocoa, more than 1.56 million children work in dangerous conditions and perform work that severely affects their safety and well-being.
The nature of child labor is insidious, and much of it remains hidden within supply chains that stretch across continents. Many of these children are forced to work to support their families, often in violation of both national laws and international conventions. Despite efforts to curb the exploitation of children, the sheer scale of the issue requires a deeper and more sustained global commitment.
The Importance of Supply Chain Transparency
One of the biggest obstacles to tackling child labor is the lack of transparency within global supply chains. While many companies monitor their direct suppliers, the real problem lies further down the chain. Suppliers such as smallholder farms, subcontractor factories and artisanal mining companies are the most prevalent and difficult to detect child labor.
For businesses committed to eradicating child labor from their supply chains, transparency is essential. Companies need to gain visibility into all levels of their supply chains, ensuring that raw materials and components are ethically sourced. Advanced tools like Transparency-One are increasingly being used to track and monitor the origins of materials, offering companies insights into labor practices and allowing them to intervene before child labor is entrenched. Without such visibility, businesses remain at risk of inadvertently supporting exploitative practices, no matter how stringent their official policies may be.
Corporate and Governmental Initiatives
Both companies and governments are making efforts to combat child labor. Governments around the world are introducing regulations that hold companies accountable for labor practices in their supply chains. For example, in 2018, Australia passed the Modern Slavery Act, which requires companies to report annually on the risks of modern slavery, including child labor. Similarly, Canada is considering new supply chain legislation in response to a 2018 report highlighting the prevalence of child labor. In the United States, the reintroduction of the Business Supply Chain Transparency on Trafficking and Slavery Act could push companies to ensure responsible sourcing and transparent practices.
Several companies have set an example by proactively tackling child labor in their supply chains. Tony’s Chocolonely, for example, has made it its mission to produce chocolate that is 100% slave-free, while ASOS has taken a transparent approach by openly discussing cases of child labor in its supply chain and detailing the steps taken to remedy these incidents. Mars Wrigley and Coca-Cola have also been firmly committed to responsible sourcing and the elimination of child labor.
Setting policies is not enough. Companies must underpin their commitments with concrete measures. Promises are common, but often not enough against child labor. Therefore, companies need to invest in more frequent and thorough risk assessments and community engagement programs. These efforts must focus on long-term change rather than temporary solutions.
Technology as a Game-Changer
Technology has become a powerful tool in the fight against child labor. Today, companies can use sophisticated tracking software to monitor their supply chains and ensure that materials are ethically sourced. This is particularly important in industries like electronics, where critical materials such as cobalt, tantalum, and lithium are used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.
These minerals often come from artisanal mining operations, where oversight is weak and child labor is common. By leveraging technology, businesses can gain visibility into even the most complex supply chains, allowing them to ensure ethical sourcing and protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.
The Role of Consumers and Civil Society
While businesses and governments play a crucial role in addressing child labor, consumers also have a significant part to play. By demanding transparency and ethical sourcing from the brands they support, consumers can help create market pressure that forces businesses to prioritize human rights. As more consumers become aware of the connection between the products they buy and the labor practices behind them, their purchasing power can drive meaningful change.
Civil society organizations, such as UNICEF and the ILO, continue to advocate for stronger collaboration between governments, businesses, and communities to combat child labor. The ILO’s Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, which has been ratified by 184 countries, calls for the elimination of child labor and the rehabilitation of affected children.
Figure 2: Number of children in child labor and hazardous work from 2000 to 2020 (source: statista)
Moving Forward: A Holistic Approach to Ending Child Labor
Eliminating child labor from global supply chains is a monumental task, but one that is increasingly within reach. By combining government regulation, corporate responsibility, technology and consumer action, it is possible to end child exploitation for profit. Achieving this goal requires a holistic approach that addresses both the visible symptoms and root causes of child labor. Companies must take responsibility to ensure transparency and ethical practices in their supply chains. Governments must also step up and further
