Child labour on Ivory Coast cocoa farms rises during pandemic, study finds

FILE PHOTO: A farmer cuts a cocoa pod at a cocoa farm in Bobia, Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon/File Photo

ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Child labour has increased in top grower Ivory Coast's cocoa sector during its coronavirus lockdown, according to a report released on Wednesday by an industry-backed foundation.

The percentage of children engaged in labour between mid-March and mid-May rose to 19.4% from 16% in the same period in recent years, according to a survey of over 1,400 households conducted by the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI).