Example in Action: ILAB's Cooperation on Fair, Free, Equitable Employment (COFFEE) Project Addresses Forced Labor in Coffee Supply Chains

The United States is the leading importer of coffee, accounting for over 18 percent of total coffee imports in the world, with Brazil and Colombia as the top suppliers. But before that coffee reaches our cups, tens of millions of workers globally select, pick, and process the beans. Many of those workers are children—toiling in the fields rather than learning in school. This project helps businesses establish systems to prevent, detect, and eliminate child labor and other forms of labor exploitation from their supply chains, and it is assembling a powerful coalition of coffee buyers to collectively incentivize suppliers into compliance.

Aligned with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Comply Chain tool, Verité developed a Socially Sustainable (S3T) toolkit consisting of 12 tools with inputs from a range of stakeholders to implement sustainable social compliance systems to mitigate labor rights violations.  An expert committee and advisory council reviewed and validated the S3T, which helped the project determine the selection of tools to pilot in each country. Verité’s pilot projects also contribute to ongoing sectoral dialogues on critical issues facing the coffee sector:

• In Mexico, Verité is building the capacity of coffee producers, agronomists, field technicians, certifiers, and monitors to identify and address labor issues in the coffee sector through a series of trainings that focus on increasing understanding of international standards and Mexican law; aiding in the identification of forced labor, child labor, and other labor abuses in the Mexican coffee sector; and identifying and remediating root causes of labor exploitation. The series of trainings also includes how to use the set of tools developed through the COFFEE Project to improve labor conditions in the coffee sector.
• In Colombia, Verité is piloting innovative payment models to improve working conditions for coffee harvesters, including vulnerable women and Venezuelan migrants.
• In Brazil, Verité is increasing understanding of recruitment dynamics and related risks in the Brazilian coffee sector.  It is also providing coffee producers, traders, and roasters with tools and trainings to help identify and reduce these risks in their supply chains.

For more information, visit: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/cooperation-fair-free-equitable-employment-coffee-project

Age verification

To verify the age of workers, "employers should keep and make available to the competent authority registers or other documents indicating the names and ages or dates of birth, duly certified wherever possible, not only of children and young persons employed by them but also of those receiving vocational orientation or training in their undertakings."

When there are no birth certificates to verify age or where falsified documents are easily obtained, the following suggestions may be helpful:

• A medical examination prior to employment may help to indicate the person’s true age and verify physical aptitude for the work. Care should always be taken to respect the person’s right to privacy. 
• Cross-checking multiple written documents and affidavits can help identify false documentation.
• Employers can hold interviews with employees and applicants who appear to be below the minimum age required for work to obtain further information.
• School enrollment certificates can be a good source of information.

Local indicators may also be helpful in countries where the challenge is that the worker may not know the precise year in which they were born. For example, in some Asian countries, children do not know their precise birth year but know the animal year (Year of the Monkey, etc.). A person might know that their birth is related to some major historical event, such as independence or the start or end of a war, or a significant anniversary. Research local key events or means of marking time in the country of operation to help during interviews if you doubt a worker’s age.

Source: Excerpted from the ILO Helpdesk for Business, Q&As on Business and Child Labor.

Interviewing a child

Interviewing a child is necessary in connection with recruitment of young people: (a) to assess their age, (b) possible work experience, and/or (c) if one of the workers is identified as being in a situation of hazardous work.

When interviewing a child who might be below the minimum age for work or working in hazardous conditions, it is important to create a trusting and relaxed atmosphere. It is also important that the conversation takes place in an undisturbed but not too remote or out of sight environment. Essentially, the child must feel as secure as possible.

What to Observe?

• The child must be treated with respect and recognized as an individual in their own right.
• There must always be two adults present at the interview at all times. An adult must not spend excessive time alone with children away from others in order not to create unnecessary worry for the child and create a basis for suspicion of inappropriate or threatening behavior and abuse.
• When interviewing a girl, there must always be a woman present.
• It is advisable to invite the child’s parents or guardians to the interview.
• If the child is an orphan and no guardian or relatives can be identified, a representative of a child rights NGO may be invited.

During the Interview with a Child:

• The key objective of the interview is to always listen to the child and to try to make an overall assessment of the child’s family and work situation:
  • Reasons why the child works.
  • How does the child contribute to the family income and what are the circumstances of the family (e.g., unemployment, disease, etc.)?
  • How does the child understand their own work?
• Source: Save the Children Denmark, Child Labour Toolkit, Responsible Approaches to Child Labour in the Textile and Garment Industry, 2006.
• Note: If underage labor is found during an interview, the child should be removed from work immediately and referred to social services to ensure their well-being. If the company has set a minimum age that is higher than the legal minimum, the child should be removed from work immediately if they are below that age.

Community-Based Child Labor Monitoring Systems

In remote geographic locations and industries where production is largely dispersed and informal, some companies have pursued community-based child labor monitoring approaches as an alternative to formal auditing. This methodology has been tested in smallholder agricultural production.

DOL welcomes examples of good practices
to address child labor and forced labor.

Email us at GlobalKids@dol.gov.