TRAFFICKED CHILDREN ON AFRICAN COCOA PLANTATIONS

Early day motion 129, tabled 4 December 2008 by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 57 members.

That this House notes with concern that the trafficking of children is a growing problem in the production of cocoa and that at least 15,000 Malian children have been trafficked to work on cocoa and coffee plantations in Cote d'Ivoire; welcomes the UK's support for the relevant International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions and ILO programmes elsewhere; notes with dismay the lack of progress by the cocoa industry in implementing a monitoring and certification process and its inability to be able to guarantee the absence of trafficked labour on cocoa production lines; and calls on the Government and the cocoa industry to provide a traffick free guarantee for all cocoa products, as suggested by the Stop the Traffick coalition.

Signatures by party: Labour 26, Liberal Democrat 18, DUP 4, Independent 3, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, Conservative 2, Scottish National Party 1.