Lawsuits brought on child labour in chocolate

Date: 16 Jul 2005

Three companies, Nestle, Archer Daniels Midland Co and Cargill Inc. are being sued under the US Alien Claims Tort Act over claims that they are involved in trafficking, torture and forced labour of children on Ivory Coast cocoa farms.

The suit is being brought by the International Labor Right Fund and follows the July 1st deadline imposed by federal law for the adoption of protocols to remove child labour from the cocoa supply chain. The Fund criticised the industry for its reluctance to allow some of its "massive profits" to provide a proper return for farmers.

In response, Nestle said that it strongly supported moves to make sure cocoa is grown responsibly without abusive labour practices.

The case is the latest to be brought under the Alien Torts Claims Act. Other recent cases include the one brought against Unocal for actions taken in Myanmar.

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