Exploited female cocoa farm workers are paid just Sh29 a day

Women workers who toil on cocoa farms used by the chocolate industry are being paid just Sh29 (23p) a day – Sh3 (3p) less than the cost of a Sh33 (26p) Freddo bar, a report has revealed.

Men receive three times more at Sh96 (75p) a day for harvesting the key ingredient for Britain’s favourite treat, the Fairtrade Foundation has revealed.

The shocking gender pay gap highlighted at the start of Fairtrade Fortnight has led to calls for an end to the “exploitation” of female farm workers.

Fairtrade has launched a She Deserves a Living Income campaign to tackle the “abject poverty” endured by “chocolate’s invisible women” who work on plantations for a pittance then have to do all the domestic chores when they get home.

The chocolate industry is worth Sh517 billion (£4 billion) a year in the UK alone but according to Fairtrade, female workers in Ghana and the Ivory Coast are the worst affected as the two African nations provide 60% of the world’s cocoa.

It is now calling on the Government, chocolate giants, traders and supermarkets to sign up to its Alliance on Living Incomes in Cocoa by the end of the year to address the issue and work towards a fair income for women who are paid way below the international poverty line of Sh180 (£1.40) set by the World Bank.

It’s Invisible Women report says: “As a nation of chocolate lovers, the UK should be leading efforts to ensure that all cocoa farmers, especially women, can earn a living income.

“A living income should cover the costs of food, water, housing, education, healthcare, transport, clothing and other essential needs, including provision for unexpected events.”

It wants the Department for International Development (DFID) to put the issue at the heart of its economic development plans and is urging the industry to commit to using more Fairtrade ingredients in products and work towards all cocoa farmers earning a living wage by 2030.

Actress Adjoa Andoh star of hit BBC series Silent Witness and the Clint Eastwood blockbuster Invictus about Nelson Mandela, is backing the campaign.

A Fairtrade ambassador, she told the Mirror: “As a working woman of Ghanaian British heritage and a lover of chocolate, I am shocked that women working as cocoa farmers across Africa and beyond still live in abject poverty, earning only Sh29 (23p) a day, yet do the lion’s share of the work on the farm, toiling for an industry worth Sh517 billion (£4 billion) a year in the UK alone.

“The gender pay gap in chocolate needs to be ended and as consumers we need to stand in solidarity with those women and fight for living incomes for all cocoa farmers. So I’m backing Fairtrade’s She Deserves campaign this Fairtrade Fortnight - will you join me?”

Julia Nicoara, director of public engagement at the Fairtrade Foundation, added: “Many of us don’t know the bitter truth of exploited farmers behind much of our chocolate, with women doing much more of the work for much less of the pay.”

A UK government spokesperson said: "Tackling gender inequality, creating well-paid jobs and improving working conditions is absolutely central to Britain’s global mission to lift people out of poverty.

"UK aid has already helped millions of women in the poorest countries access better paid, safer and more secure work.

"In Ghana, UK aid is creating a new wave of agricultural jobs which will increase incomes by 25% for over 300,000 families including women by 2025."