3 Aug 2018
Grassroots study by young Belizeans helps to fight child labour
Grassroots research by young people from a Fairtrade sugar producer organization in Belize has given unique insights into the experience of young cane cutters in the Central American country and presented practical recommendations to address child labour and protection.
Image © Jose Luis Casuso / CLAC
Fairtrade works in many regions where there is a known risk of child labour because we feel that is where our work is most needed, supporting farmers and workers to build better lives through trade. Studies show child labour is pervasive in sugar cane production in many parts of the world, including other Central American countries such as Honduras and Guatemala as well as Mexico. But solid data is scarce, making it hard for governments and industry stakeholders to develop effective policies to combat it.
Small sugar cane producers in Belize are investing time and resources to identify and respond to these risks in their own communities. The study, growing directly out of such efforts by the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) and commissioned by Fairtrade International, taps the views and experience of more than 300 sugar cane cutters between the ages of 14 and 28, and offers a sheaf of practical recommendations for producer organizations, the wider sugar industry and the Belize government.
In an innovative approach, the research was generated and analyzed by young people working as monitors in BSCFA’s programme to mitigate and remove risks of child labour, part of the Youth Inclusive Community Based Monitoring and Remediation (YICBMR) system that Fairtrade International has been piloting globally with Fairtrade Producer Networks since 2012. Some of the youth monitors were former cane cutters themselves, and their insights contributed to designing the surveys, collecting the data and drafting the report, producing unique research by youth, on youth and for youth.
Among the key insights of Involvement and Working Conditions of Youth in Sugar Cane Cutting in Belize, the study revealed that more than half of those interviewed first began cutting cane between the ages of 12 and 15, with 14 – the age when children complete basic schooling – being the most common. While the research does not make clear whether or not they started cane cutting in order to learn a skill, what is clear is that the role is typically passed down through families and is mostly a male activity.
In Belize, national law allows children to work in cane production from the age of 14. But Fairtrade Standards ban the employment of children under 15 and prohibit work done by children under 18 years for any work that could be classified as hazardous child labour under Convention 182 of the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO). Since sugar cane is cut by machete, which the ILO has classified as a dangerous tool, this would be considered a hazardous form of child labour and therefore not permitted.
All breaches of the Fairtrade Standards identified by this study have been addressed by the relevant sugar producer organizations in line with Fairtrade International’s Protection Policy for Children and Vulnerable Adults.
The study showed that 99 percent of cane cutters interviewed had completed at least basic education to age 14; some had completed secondary schooling and a few had Bachelor’s degrees. Given the lack of employment opportunities for youth to support themselves or their families, sugar cane production is the main source of income. Interviewees reported being paid in line with the national minimum wage, but more than half said they did not see cane cutting as a ‘decent livelihood’.
Key recommendations proposed by the researchers and endorsed by all three Fairtrade sugar cane producer organizations in Belize include extending training on child labour to recruiters and cane cutters themselves, and promoting universal use of personal protective equipment. Producer organizations should campaign and raise awareness on child labour in cane cutting, including working with the sugar industry to draft definitions of hazardous child labour and acceptable light work for submission to the Belizean government, and urging the government to close the legal gap between the existing minimum age for cane cutting and the ILO convention.
The study project shows how small sugar producer organizations in Belize are taking a leadership role to face child labour head-on, facilitating research on decent conditions for youth employment and generating suggestions from young people themselves. They are committed to being human rights enablers, working upwards from the bottom of the supply chain and in partnership with industry stakeholders, including business and government.
Fairtrade will continue to support their efforts to eliminate unacceptable child labour and forge better prospects and work conditions for young people, building a stronger future for themselves and their communities.
For more information, please see the study as well as our management response.