Child welfare

Child protection is a crucial issue in Côte d'Ivoire especially in rural and cocoa-growing areas where children are often exposed to forms of exploitation particularly child labor. On the one hand international standards such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions set universal standards for the protection of children against exploitation. On the other hand national standards although in place suffer from uneven and insufficient implementation especially in rural areas. Finally community standards and local customs often rooted in economic traditions and practices particularly in cocoa production come into conflict with international and national legislation. It also puts forward concrete recommendations for action.