Child labor

Child Labor

No person shall be employed under the age of 15 or the age for completion of compulsory education, whichever is higher.

Child Labor

CL.1 General Compliance

Employers shall comply with all national laws, regulations and procedures concerning the prohibition of child labor.

CL.2 Child Labor

Employers shall not employ anyone under the age of 15 or under the age for completion of compulsory education, whichever is higher.

CL.3 Government Permits and Parental Consent Documentation

Employers shall abide by all relevant rules and procedures where the law requires government permits or permission from parents as a condition of employment, and shall keep documentation on-site for inspection at all times.

CL.4 Employment of Young Workers

Employers shall comply with all relevant laws that apply to young workers (e.g. those between the minimum working age and the age of 18), including regulations related to hiring, working conditions, types of work, hours of work, proof of age documentation, and overtime.

CL.5 Hazardous Work for Young Workers

No person under the age of 18 shall undertake hazardous work, i.e. work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health or safety or morals of persons under the age of 18.

CL.6 Young Workers Identification System

Employers shall have a system for identifying workstations and operations that are inappropriate for young workers according to applicable laws.

CL.7 Apprenticeships and Vocational Training / Minimum Working Age

Apprentices or vocational students shall not be under the age of 15 or under the age for completion of compulsory education, whichever is higher.

CL.8 Proof of Age Documentation

CL.8.1 Employers shall collect and maintain all documentation necessary to confirm and verify date of birth of all workers, such as birth certificates.

CL.8.1.1 Employers shall take reasonable measures to ensure such documentation is complete and accurate.

CL.8.1.2 In those cases where proof of age documentation is not readily available or unreliable, employers shall take all necessary precautions which can reasonably be expected of them to ensure that all workers are at least the minimum working age, including requesting and maintaining medical or religious records of workers, or through other means considered reliable in the local context.

Child labor risks are especially persistent in agricultural supply chains given the prevalence of dispersed farms, informal labor arrangements, seasonal harvests, and family-based production systems. Children may be present in fields because parents migrate for work, childcare is unavailable, schools are inaccessible, or families depend on children’s contribution to household income.

Our agriculture benchmarks for Fair Labor Accreditation recognize that children of workers and migrant families must have access to quality education and that employers should work with authorities and stakeholders to facilitate schooling or alternative education where needed. The benchmarks also call for access to appropriate day-care facilities for children below school age who live on or near farms.

Child Labor

CL.1 General Compliance

Employers shall comply with all national laws, ratified international conventions, fundamental labor rights, regulations and procedures concerning the prohibition of child labor.

CL.2 Child Labor/Minimum Age

Employers shall comply with ILO Convention 138 and shall not employ anyone under the age of 15 or under the age for completion of compulsory education, whichever is higher. If a country has a specified minimum age of 14 years due to insufficiently developed economy and educational facilities, employers might follow national legislations but must work to progressively raise the minimum age to 15 years.

CL.3 Light Work

In accordance with national laws and ILO Convention 138, children aged 13-15 (no younger than 12 years in countries that have applied for ILO exemption) may be involved in light work on farms provided that:

The work is not dangerous and not harmful to their health or development, and specifically:

should not involve use of or exposure to chemicals,
should not involve carrying heavy loads (children should not lift loads more than 15% of their body weight at any time),
should not involve the use of farm equipment, dangerous tools, ploughs, tractors, machetes, sharp tools, saws, or power engines,
should not involve working on heights (not more than 6 feet) such as in trees or on ladders, or in confined places such as silos or storage areas, and
should not involve strenuous work and extreme conditions such as standing or bending for several hours, working in high temperatures, and not having breaks.

The work does not prejudice their attendance at school and is done within reasonable time limits after school or during holidays. Specifically:

Working hours should not exceed 14 hours per week
no work should take place before 6:00 am and after 8:00 pm, and
there should be at least one full day (24 hours) rest per week.

The work is appropriate to the child’s age and physical condition and does not jeopardize the child’s social, moral or physical development.

The child’s parents provide supervision and guidance and maintain all documents as required by the law.

Other criteria specific to in-scope commodities or as defined by the national government in the country, that are not lower that the ILO standard on light work.

CL.4 Child labor/Right to education

CL.4.1 Resident and migrant children whose parents are involved in farm activities shall have guaranteed access to quality education. If there are no schools available in the area where children live or stay, the employer shall work with local authorities and/or other relevant stakeholders to facilitate access to education or provide alternative forms of schooling on the farm or in nearby communities.

CL.4.2 Where children of the workers below school age live on or near the farm, the employer shall provide access to decent and appropriate day-care facilities.

CL.5 Government Permits and Parental Consent Documentation

Employers shall abide by all relevant rules and procedures where the law requires government permits or permission from parents as a condition of employment of young workers.

CL.6 Employment of Young Workers

CL.6.1 Employers shall comply with all relevant laws that apply to young workers, (e.g., those between the minimum legal working age and the age of 18) including regulations related to hiring, working conditions, types of work, hours of work, proof of age documentation, and overtime.

CL.6.2 Employers shall maintain a list of all young workers, their entry dates, proof of age and description of their assignment.

CL.7 Hazardous Work for Young Workers

No person under the age of 18 shall undertake hazardous work, i.e., work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of persons under the age of 18. Such work includes, but is not limited to, the application of agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers, use of farm equipment tools and machinery, lifting or moving of heavy materials or goods, or carrying out hazardous tasks such as underground or underwater or at dangerous heights. Every activity performed by a young worker must be supervised by an adult.

CL.8 Apprenticeships and Vocational Training

CL.8.1 Employers may allow temporary workplace and apprenticeship education programs for young workers (14 or 15 – 18 years old) which are customary seasonal employment so long as such persons are closely supervised and their morals, safety, health, and compulsory education are not compromised in any way and all local, state and national laws regarding the employment of young workers are observed.

CL.8.2 Employers shall comply with all regulations and requirements of apprentice or vocational education programs.

CL.9 Children on Premises

The employer shall ensure that children (including those residing on the farm and those of migrant workers) are not exposed to dangerous agriculture production activities, including exposure to chemicals/pesticides.

CL.10 Removal and Rehabilitation of Child Laborers

CL.10.1 If a child laborer is found working on a farm, all relevant downstream suppliers, including the participating company, shall immediately assess the situation at the child’s household level and shall engage with relevant stakeholders to find a sustainable remediation solution that is in the best interest of the child.

CL.10.2 If child labor is found to be a systemic issue in a particular supply chain, the participating company shall in consultation with upstream suppliers, employers and other stakeholders devise an action plan for its remediation, if possible through an area- and community based approach.

Not all work by adolescents is child labor. However, young workers—those who are above the minimum working age but under 18—require specific protections.

Our Fair Labor Standards require employers to comply with laws related to young workers, including rules on hiring, working conditions, proof of age, hours of work, overtime, and types of work. These standards also prohibit anyone under 18 from undertaking hazardous work that may harm their health, safety, or moral development.

We support companies and suppliers to:

identify young workers in supply chains;
assess whether their tasks are legally permitted and age-appropriate;
improve working conditions for young workers;
develop guidance for suppliers, farmers, and labor intermediaries;
prevent adolescents from being pushed into hazardous or exploitative work; and
ensure that work does not interfere with education.

This approach is especially important in agriculture where adolescents may participate in seasonal work, family farming, apprenticeships, or informal employment.