Ivory Coast

Continent: Africa
Capital: Yamoussoukro
Abolition Date:
Start Date:
Currency: Franc de la Communauté financière africaine

Languages Spoken: French (official) Dioula (for business)and 61 mother tongues
Population: As Estimated in late 2006, is 20,169,352
National Anthem: "L'Abidjanaise" (Song of Abidjan)

The urgency of this problem is being acknowledged by the governments concerned. A significant step was taken on 6 September 2000 when Mali and Côte d'Ivoire signed an agreement on prohibiting the illegal trafficking of children for labour between the two countries. The accord states that both countries must develop legislation regarding the movement of children abroad.

The Causes
According to the Cote d’Ivoire Prime Minister, multinational chocolate manufacturers have encouraged more and more developing nations to grow cocoa, forcing down the price and driving cocoa farmers to take desperate measures just to save their land. He told chocolate manufacturers that they would have to pay about 10 times as much for cocoa as they currently do if they want to end the use of forced labor in cocoa production. West Africa produces over 67% of the world’s crop of cocoa beans. The Cote d’Ivoire grows 43% of the total world cocoa crop, where there are over 600,000 cocoa farms. Two-thirds of cocoa produced worldwide is thought to be grown by small holders. The economies of the West African governments depend on cocoa. Nearly 40% of the population of the Cote d’Ivoire is involved in cocoa farming, and 40% of the total earnings exported from the Cote d’Ivoire come from cocoa. On April 3, 2007 the BBC reported that child labor was continuing on cocoa plantations.
There are over 27 million slaves in the world today. Of them over 9 million are children. At least 179 million children are exploited by hazardous work; 246 million children aged 5-17 are child laborers. Between 2000 and 2004 the number of slaves worldwide decreased worldwide by 11% while during the same period the number of people used as slaves in Africa increased by 49%.

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