Essay Sample on Child Labor in Western Africa

Imagine: it is Halloween, and you are opening your favorite king-size chocolate bar. What are you thinking about, the sweet thing you are about to taste? Or the 1.8 million children trapped on cocoa farms producing what you are about to eat? As of October 2021, Foodispower.org says, “Approximately 2.1 million children in the Ivory Coast and Ghana work on cocoa farms, most of whom are likely exposed to the worst forms of child labor.” Child labor in Western Africa on cocoa farms continues to be an issue in our society. These individuals, varying from the ages of five to seventeen, produce 70% of the world's cocoa, according to Makechocolatefair.org. It is clear to see child labor is iniquitous. Ultimately, it is improbable that West African children working on cocoa farms can succeed in adulthood. Rather than ruining these children's futures, chocolate companies should collaborate with the International Cocoa Initiative, which donates mobile money to households involved in child labor. There are many reasons why child labor should be prevented.

To start, child labor affects children’s health on cocoa farms in Africa. A recent NORC study from the University of Chicago done in Western Africa claims, “More than 40% of children interviewed reported feeling very tired or exhausted because of child labor. 34% of children were in very bad pain. 25 % felt very sick. 12% had to receive medical treatment” (Submitted by ctate, October 19). To illustrate, words including “exhausted,” “pain,” “medical treatment,” and “sick” all show these children working on cocoa farms are in an unsafe environment. If the farms would treat these kids fairly, then there would be no need for medical attention, and no worker would be exhausted. If the children constantly feel sick and in pain, their future could be affected severely. Not only does work on cocoa farms jeopardize the health of the children involved, but they also earn a small fixed salary. 

On another note, workers on cocoa farms receive a low income. Chocolate’s Heart of Darkness, a documentary about Child Labor in Western Africa, states,  “Another laborer on the same farm named Ali worked for six years without being paid… Ali, for example, made only about $250 in one year from selling his share of cocoa” (Child Labor and Slavery, ND). In 2019, the average American made about $51,916.27 per year, according to policyadvice.net. That is a $51,666.26 difference between Ali and the average American. It is common knowledge that the wages children earn in child labor are unfair and unacceptable. Some people’s groceries are as much money as Ali’s yearly salary, to put this into perspective. If these children are not able to provide basic necessities for themselves, how will they ever be able to succeed as adults and avoid poverty? Just as important as earning a low income, children who take part in child labor have a lower chance of getting a future job.

Some argue child labor is unacceptable, however; others say these children are earning the only source of income within their family. The ILO ( International Labor Organization) states, “Children work because their survival and that of their families depend on it” (Causes, 2011). Furthermore, the children working on cocoa farms only have the money they earn to provide for their families. More specifically, adults rely on their children to fund their families' needs. Although they are not making much, without the little money they have earned, their family would likely be in deeper poverty, and there is a chance they would not survive. 

Lastly, child labor on cocoa farms prevents children from getting jobs later on in life. 

As reported by an SOS Children’s Villages article, “Experts estimate that a total of 30 million children in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school” (Hunger, disease, wars). Since child laborers on cocoa farms do not attend school, they are not getting the education an average child should be getting. Kids need the education to get further in life. When people who have previously been involved in child labor try to get higher-paying jobs, it is likely they will not posses the educational skills required for the job. Therefore, these children will not be able to thrive in their futures. Not only is their health affected, and they receive low incomes, but they also can not get future jobs.

To conclude, child labor on cocoa farms in Africa prevents children from becoming successful later in life because it affects their health, they receive low incomes, and can not get future jobs. As Guy Rider, an ILO Director-General, has said, “There is no place for child labor in society. It robs children of their future and keeps families in poverty.” These children need to be recognized by those who can help. Whether it is the little things like sharing what one’s learned about child labor or not buying untraceable chocolate such as Hersey’s or Godiva, or the big things like donating to organizations such as the ICI (International Cocoa Initiative) or starting petitions in your school today. Every little thing helps.