Child Labour in the Fiji Tobacco Industry: Farm Consultancy, August 2004

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.

Summary

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

Amongst the farming communities surveyed, traditional family values dictace that rural children assist with family tasks including work on the tobacco crop. The study differentiated where the 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.

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

Download the full report.