You are currently on the CLMRS page.

skip to main content
Menu
CLMRS child labor monitoring and remediation system. CLMRS child labor monitoring and remediation system.
learn all ’bout it
serious statements
our promise

our structured approach to tackle child labor in Ghana + Côte d’Ivoire

Child labor remains a prevalent problem in the cocoa supply chain due to severe poverty – as well as a lack of awareness. Children helping their parents out on the farm is not illegal, but the exposure to hazardous activities – as well as working long hours – is. Additionally, there are cases where children are forced to work away from their family and do not have the option to stop. Child labor is far more common than forced labor, occurring in different levels of severity as defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

To drive down child labor, we use a rights-based approach. This means we work to protect the dignity of every child found to be in child labor.

We do this by implementing a Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System – CLMRS for short. This system was developed by ILO and adapted for the cocoa industry by the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) + Nestlé.

CLMRS helps the co-ops we work with to identify instances of child labor, find alternative solutions and prevent the use of child labor by raising awareness.

All the partner cooperatives we source from are covered by the CLMRS. Here’s how this system works in practice..

Graph illustrating the 5 steps of how the CLMRS works. Graph illustrating the 5 steps of how the CLMRS works.

1. facilitator selection:

Self-motivated community members are recruited as Community Facilitators. Teams are gender- and age-balanced.

4. individual remediation activities: 

Child labor remediation efforts are planned at cooperative level. They include health insurance and birth certificates (see below), among other things. 

2. household visits:

Community Facilitators visit households annually to have conversations in a safe setting about what kind of activities children are allowed and not allowed to do, and why. A survey is carried out and the information is logged. On top of annual visits, Facilitators also undertake unannounced farm visits as an extra check.

5. follow-up and case closure: 

To assess the effectiveness of the implemented remediation activities, a minimum of 2 follow-up visits are carried out by the Community Facilitators: 3 and 6 months after identification. If the child isn’t working at either visit, they’re no longer considered a laborer. The household will continue to be visited annually. 

3. child labor identification:

95% of cases of child labor are identified through discussions with children + their families. When child labor is identified, the Community Facilitator immediately discusses the situation with the household to determine necessary remediation actions. The family also receives targeted awareness-raising support. The information logged (see step 2) is validated by the Monitoring and Remediation Agent at the partner cooperative, who is responsible for the implementation of the CLMRS.

The last step is ongoing throughout the process, and not part of an audit.. community development and measurement: Long-term solutions beyond specific cases and cocoa farmers are sought, such as the improvement of education, sanitation, healthcare and access to diverse income.

Every child discovered to be involved in child labor receives immediate help aimed at getting them out of child labor. Addressing child labor requires an approach that considers the needs of individuals, households and the entire community.

For individual children..

.. the support is geared towards getting them back to school. This includes arranging birth certificates for school enrollment, providing school kits (notebooks, uniforms, shoes, etc.) and organizing bicycles so kids can cycle to school. Older children can participate in vocational training programs, where they can choose and pursue trade-based professions. They receive training, a stipend, the needed equipment for their chosen trade and placement in functional literacy + numeracy classes.

For households.. 

.. the support involves equipping families with tools like wheelbarrows and Pelle Bongos, which are safe tools used to open cocoa pods. These tools enable older children to help around the farm without the need to carry heavy loads or handle sharp tools. Families with multiple children engaged in child labor may receive support to access alternative income-generating activities, to enable them to hire labor for cocoa farming tasks rather than relying on their children. 

For communities..

.. the focus is on enhancing infrastructure to create a nurturing environment for children. This includes ensuring the presence of accessible schools, readily available water sources and accessible healthcare facilities. 

Our approach to tackling child labor addresses its root cause: poverty. How? By sourcing cocoa according to Tony’s Sourcing Principles. They include always paying cocoa farmers a price that enables them to earn a living income, and investing in the development of supportive environments within cocoa communities. These environments are crucial because even cocoa farmers earning a living income might live in areas lacking essential amenities, like schools.

Tony’s CLMRS in action

In 2024/25, we found 3,448 cases of child labor in our supply chain. And that’s all thanks to the rapid expansion of our Child Labor Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS), which we manage closely with our partner co-ops. CLMRS now covers 93.7% of all the households we work with.

Each child identified receives the immediate support they need to make sure they permanently stop engaging in dangerous activities. All the cases we’ve found are in the process of being remediated. Last year, we solved 813 cases, meaning another 813 children are now out of child labor and protected for the future. So they can play, go to school and dream BIG.

more about us..

more Tony’s news