ofi introduces the first professionalised child labour monitoring and remediation to Cameroon

Two men standing in a plantation and looking at a electronic device

London, UK

 

Child labour monitoring and remediation is set to be rolled out across Cameroon in the first programme of its kind by a cocoa company. The move forms part of olam food ingredients' (ofi's) global commitment to put children first by tackling child labour and helping more children attend school across its entire direct supply chain.

 

The company is working in partnership with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and local cocoa farming cooperatives to digitally register its nearly 7,000 farmer suppliers in Cameroon and their households, introduce rigorous traceability and reporting systems, educate local communities about child labour, and set up dedicated child labour monitoring and remediation systems (CLMRS) – the first time these measures have been introduced professionally and at scale in Cameroon.

 

To facilitate this process, ofi is introducing a new app to its Olam and Farmers Information System (OFIS) technology. After providing training to community leads and equipping them with a smartphone, they can begin collecting social data. This means that it is possible to identify children who are at high risk and take action much more quickly. These data insights will then feed directly into AtSource, ofi’s digital platform that gives its customers unprecedented visibility of the supply chain of their products.

 

It is estimated that around 20% of school-aged children in Cameroon do not attend school1. The reasons for this are complex. The majority of smallholder cocoa farmers have small plots with low yields, which makes it difficult to earn a living income. When parents cannot afford to pay for labour to help on their farms, they may keep children at home to work the land rather than attend school.

 

Beyond Cameroon, the app will be used to cover nearly 223,000 farmers in 3 countries across West Africa, prioritising those countries where the risk is highest. In 2019 ofi launched Cocoa Compass, its sustainability ambition for the future of the cocoa sector, which aims to tackle child labour and help children access education, support cocoa farmers to achieve a living income, protect forests through an increase in tree carbon stock and lower its natural capital costs.

 

Richa Mittal, Director, Supply Chain Innovation & Partnerships at the Fair Labor Association, said: “Olam Cocoa proactively partnered with the FLA to map the working conditions in its smallholder cocoa supply chain in Cameroon in 2019. The FLA team alongside Olam Cocoa’s local team engaged government stakeholders, civil society organisations, local community leaders, farmers, workers, and their families to understand the root causes of child labour. The findings informed Olam Cocoa’s development of CLMRS in Cameroon. The FLA will continue to independently monitor and then publicly report on the company’s efforts to improve the conditions for the cocoa farmers and their families in the country.”

 

Billie Elmqvist Thurén, Regional Child Labour Analyst for ofi's cocoa platform, said: “Access to education and freedom from child labour are basic human rights. We’re focused on making this a reality for every child and parent we work directly with in cocoa communities around the world. It’s a big task, especially in countries like Cameroon that are struggling with ongoing political uncertainty. But we need to act now to ensure we have full traceability of the cocoa in our direct supply chain, and most important of all, improve the lives of children and give them the opportunities their parents may not have had.”

 

1Data from 2017, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2019

About ofi

 

ofi is a new operating group born out of Olam. ofi offers sustainable, natural, value-added food and beverage ingredients and solutions so that consumers can enjoy the healthy and indulgent products they love. It consists of Olam’s industry-leading businesses of Cocoa, Coffee, Nuts, Spices and Dairy with operations across America, Africa, Europe and Asia, with a network of 15,000 employees, operational in 48 countries, sourcing directly and indirectly from approximately 2.6 million farmer suppliers globally and operating 100+ manufacturing plants.

 

ofi has built a unique global value chain presence including its own farms, farm-gate origination and manufacturing facilities. ofi partners with customers, leveraging its complementary and differentiated portfolio of “on-trend” food and beverage products, to co-create solutions that anticipate and meet changing consumer preferences as demand increases for healthier food that’s traceable and sustainable.

 

 

About the Fair Labor Association

 

FLA is a collaborative effort of universities, civil society organizations and socially responsible companies dedicated to protecting workers’ rights around the world. We are an international organization with a dedicated staff and board, headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in China, and Switzerland.

For further information, please contact:

    Emma Blinkhorn

    Communications Manager

    emma.blinkhorn@olamnet.com

    Teneo

     

    020 7260 2700

    olam@teneo.com