Out-of-school children exploited in tobacco fields in Malawi

Many children working in Malawi’s tobacco fields are still out of school, according to several UN experts. The experts are urging the government and tobacco companies operating in the country to improve working conditions and ensure human rights protections throughout the supply chain.[1].

Malawi is one of the world's leading tobacco exporting countries and tobacco farms are generally located in remote areas. Access to assistance and protection of human rights and labour rights are limited and actions to prevent exploitation and trafficking in persons are limited.

Forced labor and exploitation of women and children in tobacco fields

Serious concerns persist over the risks of child trafficking and forced labour, experts said. A large number of children working on tobacco farms are still out of school and have not returned to school following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw more than 400,000 children drop out of school in the country. These children are not receiving a full education and their future is being seriously compromised. Several human rights violations have been reported in tobacco fields in the country operated by major tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco, with an estimated 7,000 adults and 3,000 children affected.

UN experts also highlighted the discrimination faced by women in these rural areas. The only recognised heads of household are men, which increases the risks of exploitation and abuse for women.

In 2021, several thousand Malawian tobacco farmers filed a class action lawsuit for forced labor against two multinational tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Brands (IB). The farmers specifically denounced working conditions that amount to forced labor, coerced labor, and exploitation, as defined by Malawian law.[2].

Malawi's addiction to tobacco

Much of Malawi’s economy revolves around tobacco farming, long touted as “green gold.” With 6.61tbsp of global exports, tobacco leaf farming is a major financial resource for the country: it accounts for 701tbsp of Malawi’s foreign exchange earnings, and brought in $237 million in 2017, according to the Central Bank of Malawi. However, this reliance on tobacco farming increases the vulnerability of the Malawian economy and is a major obstacle to the country’s development.[3]. The decline in global tobacco consumption is undoubtedly leading to a drop in revenue for the country and the economic consequences for the population are direct: in five years, per capita income has fallen by 30%. Also, by devoting a large part of its arable land to tobacco cultivation, the country is exposing itself to permanent food insecurity, episodes of serious food shortages and malnutrition.

The tobacco industry's double game

The tobacco industry has long been criticized for exploiting children in its tobacco fields and failing to provide decent working conditions in many countries. In a recent report, Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) exposes the devastating consequences of child labor in the tobacco sector and denounces the methods the tobacco industry uses to avoid responsibility for the problem. Child labor in tobacco has been called one of the “worst forms of child labor” due to its hazardous nature. Numerous data and studies show the presence of children under the age of 14 in tobacco fields in several countries around the world. It is estimated that 1.3 million children work in tobacco production, particularly in tobacco farming.[4].

Tobacco manufacturers, who play a central role in deliberately keeping tobacco farmers in precarious conditions, regularly communicate to highlight their commitment to combating child labor. To do this, they rely on self-declarations relating to their agricultural practices and their supply chain audits. They also report on their initiatives to combat child labor, which are mainly taken from the documents of the Foundation for the Elimination of Child Labor in Tobacco Cultivation, an organization funded by the tobacco industry. This is a pure communication strategy for the industry, intended to rehabilitate its image. The challenge is to protect the reputation of these tobacco companies and position them as "socially responsible."

Keywords: Malawi, Africa, children, forced labor, human rights, children's rights, education, tobacco fields

AE

[1] Press release, Malawi: Children working on tobacco farms remain out of school, say UN experts, website of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, published on December 21, 2022, consulted on December 22, 2022

[2] Tobacco-free generation, Two tobacco giants accused of forced labor by Malawian farmers and children, published on May 20, 2021, consulted on December 22, 2022

[3] Tobacco-free generation, Tobacco as an obstacle to development: the case of Malawi, published on January 20, 2020, consulted on December 22, 2022

[4] Tobacco-free generation, The tobacco industry: an obstacle to the elimination of child labour, published June 21, 2021, accessed December 22, 2022