Companies are increasingly concerned with child labour in their supply chains. They view it as inconsistent with company values, and a threat to their image and ability to recruit and retain top employees, as well as to the sustainability of their supply chain.
And there often is cause for concern: many child labourers work as part of supply chains. They are involved in the production of cash crops and manufactured goods that are exported directly, as well as in the production of goods that serve as inputs into final products; final assembly or finishing of these products often takes place in the importing countries. They are also involved in domestic supply chains.
Despite the challenges of tackling child labour in supply chains that are often long and complex, leading companies have used social dialogue, international labour standards, a collective approach, and a commitment to addressing the root causes of child labour to effectively address the problem. IPEC has a long history of facilitating and supporting these efforts. The 2016 Roadmap for Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted at the Hague Child Labour Conference in May 2010, calls for special efforts to made to tackle child labour in supply chains, in recognition of the vital role that enterprises must play to reach the 2016 goal.
