An independent study on the occurrence of child labour in Fiji’s tobacco-growing industry was commissioned by the Fiji Employers’ Federation, on behalf of British American Tobacco.

Its results were shared in August 2004 with its stakeholders, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Ministry of Labour.

The tobacco-growing industry comprises contracted smallholder production; there is no evidence of ongoing organised paid labour in the industry for either adult or child farm labour.

Traditional family values in the farming communities surveyed expect rural children to assist with family tasks including working with the tobacco crop. The study differentiated where this work possibly contravenes International Conventions on child labour. Important issues include missing school, working with hazardous chemicals and using heavy equipment.

The study found that 2% of farm children in the tobacco-growing areas miss school on a regular basis to work with tobacco or other crops, while 18% occasionally miss school during busy crop husbandry periods. 12% of children working on tobacco farms use knapsack sprayers that may contain hazardous chemicals or be heavier than believed safe.

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Geneva, 21 September 2004