Piloting the United States Department of Agriculture Guidelines for Eliminating Child Labor and Forced Labor in Turkey’s Hazelnut Supply Chain PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

This report tells the story of Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, and its two hazelnut suppliers in Turkey, Olam and Balsu, as they pilot-tested the United States Department of Agriculture Guidelines for Eliminating Child Labor and Forced Labor in Agricultural Supply Chains (USDA Guidelines) in Turkey’s hazelnut supply chain. This project was a partnership between the three companies and the Fair Labor Association (FLA), funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL).

Hazelnuts are grown in the Black Sea region of Turkey. In the summer, tens of thousands of ABOUT THE USDA GUIDELINES seasonal migrant workers, mostly from the Southeast region bordering Syria, travel across the country to hazelnuts for 30-45 days. Children often work alongside their parents in the • Developed by a multi- STANDARDS hazelnut gardens. consultative group appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the USDA Guidelines were officially adopted in 2011. They are organized around seven elements. SUPPLY CHAIN MAPPING • The USDA Guidelines embody a practical AND RISK MANAGEMENT approach for companies developing internal management systems to address child and COLLABORATION STRONG PROGRAMS UNDERSTANDING PROCESSES forced labor-related issues. MAXIMIZES IMPACT DEPEND ON WORKERS’ NEEDS AND PROGRAMS COMMUNICATION SOLID DATA IS CRUCIAL REQUIRE FLEXIBILITY • The USDA Guidelines provide a robust Addressing systemic framework to engage stakeholders across issues like child labor In addition to commodity Not every workforce faces Risk assessment and agricultural supply chains. and forced labor requires mapping, robust data the same human rights standard setting are a multi-stakeholder collection on worker issues. In this project, continuous processes. • The USDA Guidelines have many similarities approach. By working demographics, migrant companies needed to Companies must take to the methodology developed and applied MONITORING together on this project, workers’ movements, and understand the unique into account changes by the FLA during the past decade. companies, farmers, labor workplace conditions challenges confronting a in the local environment contractors, local and provide critical context young, seasonal, migrant and periodically review national government, and for companies as they workforce in order to their systems and THE USDA GUIDELINES ARE ALIGNED civil society groups were assess risks and design address their needs. approaches. Adjusting able to achieve greater strong remediation To build a successful remedial interventions to WITH OTHER VOLUNTARY PRINCIPLES REMEDIATION results. Collaboration programs to protect program that protects take advantage of new AND FRAMEWORKS INCLUDING: is essential to ensure human rights throughout workers, companies need information acquired long-term sustainability their supply chains. functioning channels for through research • The United Nations Guiding Principles and scalability of social workers to communicate or exchanges with on Business and Human Rights compliance programs. their concerns. stakeholders boosts INTERNAL REVIEW their effectiveness. • The OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains • The Principles of Fair Labor and Nestlé, Olam, and Balsu successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of the USDA Guidelines Responsible Sourcing developed INDEPENDENT as a practical framework to help agricultural firms, large and small, national or multi-national, by the FLA THIRD-PARTY REVIEW to improve their social compliance systems and reduce the risks of child and forced labor in • The U.S. Department of Labor their supply chains. The USDA Guidelines are applicable in any country and to any agricultural Comply Chain: Business Tools for commodity, from coffee in Guatemala to palm oil in Malaysia, cotton in India to cocoa in Labor Compliance in Global Supply Cote d’Ivoire. Chains application

2 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 3 WHAT IS CHILD LABOR?

• Child labor refers to engagement of WHY ADDRESSING CHILD children in employment prohibited under International Labour Organization (ILO) AND FORCED LABOR MATTERS Conventions 138 and 182.

TO BUSINESS • ILO sets the minimum working age for children at 15 for most activities and 18 for hazardous work. Moving beyond voluntary guidelines like the Consumers, increasingly selective in their USDA Guidelines, new emerging legislative purchasing behavior, will continue to drive • Young laborers must be protected from frameworks around the world require change and pressure companies to embrace conditions that can harm their physical, companies to disclose their supply chains, sustainable and ethical business practices. mental, emotional, or moral wellbeing. FACTS AND FIGURES ABOUT identify human rights issues, and address CHILD LABOR IN AGRICULTURE them wherever they occur in their • They must not work excessive hours. supply chain. • Around the world, 152 million children • ILO Conventions do not ban age-appropriate aged 5-17 are in child labor (ILO) tasks that pose low risk and do not interfere with the child’s development. • 107.5 million are employed in agriculture (subsistence or commercial farming, herding, fishing, forestry, animal A survey of 3,023 consumers aged 18+ WHAT IS FORCED LABOR? husbandry, and aquaculture). Sixty-nine in the United States, the United Kingdom, percent work within their family unit and Italy shows that consumers are ILO Convention 29 defines forced work as (ILO) increasingly sensitive to responsible 67% say eliminating the “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty • In Turkey, in 2012, nearly 900,000 sourcing and it affects their use of child labor is an and for which the said person has not offered children were employed, including purchasing behavior: urgent issue to address himself voluntarily.” Indicators of forced labor • 292,000 children aged 6–14 are often more subtle and can include: • 601,000 children aged 15-17 • excessive hours of work or forced overtime • 45 percent who worked in agriculture believe companies 92% 48% say they purchase • non-payment of minimum wages should be transparent about hazelnuts always or often • 31 percent who were employed product sourcing • deductions from wages in services • payment of wages delayed • 24 percent who worked in industry or withheld indefinitely (Turksat: Turkish Statistical Institute) • debt owed to employer or recruiter 74% say they try to consider whether 55% • deception about the nature of work purchase products that nuts are responsibly sourced or location are responsibly sourced before making purchasing decisions • physical or psychological coercion • abuse of vulnerability • lack of access to identity 80% say they are likely 48% would boycott or travel paperwork to seek out products or products upon learning • dependence on employer or recruiter ingredients that follow that a company sourced for housing, food, etc. standards or regulations hazelnuts from farms that that ensure suppliers employ child or forced labor, A single indicator may not signal forced labor. do not employ child or and 33 percent would urge Taken collectively, the presence of these and forced labor others to follow suit other indicators might point to a serious forced labor issue.

4 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 5 TWO MILLION FARMERS, TENS OF A MULTI-STAKEHOLDER APPROACH

THOUSANDS OF HARVESTERS Since 2012, the three FLA-affiliated firms— Nestlé, Olam, and Balsu—have been building Every summer, tens of thousands of seasonal internal monitoring mechanisms with the FLA 2,470 287 agricultural workers converge on the green to address decent work principles, including Harvest Farmers THE FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION (FLA) hills of Turkey’s Black Sea region to harvest is a non- child and forced labor, in their hazelnut supply profit organization established in 1999 with the workers received chain. hazelnuts, a commodity that accounts for mission to combine the efforts of business, civil reached training 20 percent of Turkey’s agricultural exports. society organizations, colleges and universities to 219 Turkey is the world’s leading producer promote and protect workers’ rights and improve The USDOL-funded project provided the Labor contractors of hazelnuts, currently supplying some working conditions globally through adherence to companies with an opportunity to deepen 509 received training 70 percent of the global market. international standards. their understanding of systemic issues, pilot Children new interventions, scale up existing efforts, provided 256 safe spaces The majority of harvesters are from the and broaden their impact in cooperation with Community Southeast region bordering Syria, and they the FLA, public agencies, and civil society members attended tend to travel as family groups, moving from organizations. 89 trainings crop to crop for 6-8 months per year. Children Labor THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S BUREAU OF 139 of migrant families often work alongside Between December 2015 and 2018, the project contractors INTERNATIONAL LABOR AFFAIRS (ILAB) promotes a Government their parents, contributing to the household partners carried out activities in the Black Sea fair global playing field for workers in the United registered officials received income, to the detriment of their personal and Southeast regions that have: States and around the world by enforcing trade training development. commitments, strengthening labor standards, and • enhanced the of the combating international child labor, forced labor, 24 34 companies’ hazelnut supply chain It is in this setting that Nestlé and its two and human trafficking. Since 1995, the Office of Housing Company hazelnut suppliers in Turkey—Olam and Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking • enabled the collection of extensive renovations personnel trained (OCFT) has funded over 300 projects to combat completed Balsu—piloted the USDA Guidelines, in information for risk identification, 123 partnership with FLA. Lasting 31 months, exploitive child labor. These projects have been management, and mitigation implemented by more than 80 organizations in Teachers trained the project was funded by the USDOL. nearly 100 countries. • improved companies’ standards and benchmarks related to child and forced labor • communicated companies’ standards on “Through research studies and to various stakeholder groups trainings carried out within the (farmers, labor contractors, local authorities, scope of the project that we have and workers) been conducting since 2016 with • implemented innovative remediation FLA, we have made a considerable strategies in cooperation with non- contribution to fighting child labor / / governmental organizations (NGOs) in our country, especially in Hazelnut Cracking Plant Hazelnut Cracking Plant and local authorities Hazelnut Processing Plant hazelnut agriculture. KOCAALI ORDU It is obvious that the consequences HENDEK GIRESUN of the project will positively Nestlé sources about 70 percent of its hazelnuts from Turkey This project was conducted with the support contribute to the direction of from over 2,000 farms through Olam and Balsu. During the of the Turkish government. the policies of our Ministry and harvest period, which lasts 30-45 days, each farm employs Hazelnut Processing Plant up to 10 seasonal workers. Groups of workers travel from one On February 20, 2018, Turkey declared 2018 country in fighting child labor.” farm to the next. Altogether, thousands of seasonal migrants the “Year to Combat Child Labor” The Turkish government aims to raise awareness of the issue, work in Nestlé’s hazelnuts supply chain. In addition, farms which affects close to 1 million children in Turkey. The “National - Nurcan Önder, Director of Labor, also employ local workers from the Black Sea region. STANDARDS Program Against Child Labor” will focus on creating more Turkish Ministry of Labor effective policies to tackle child labor. It is expected to run and Social Security for five years until the country’s centenary in 2023.

6 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 7 LESSONS LEARNED LESSONS LEARNED SETTING STANDARDS SUPPLY CHAIN

• Risk assessment and standard setting are bodies, everyone uses 16 years as the MAPPING AND continuous processes that require regular minimum working age for migratory labor. updating. For example, since the start of the TRACEABILITY Syrian conflict, the influx of foreign labor • Forced labor often cannot be defined “Today, we have 100 in Turkey has significantly increased risks by a single indicator, but rather by a • By undertaking the implementation of the percent traceability related to child and forced labor. It is also set of indicators. To identify this hidden USDA Guidelines, Olam and Balsu hope essential to have standard practices for labor phenomenon, a deep understanding of to remain preferred suppliers to Nestlé, over our hazelnut contractors and recruitment services where the local environment and local practices while also selling hazelnuts to other buyers. supplychain in Turkey. there are migrant workers. is required. For example, many company Nestlé can incentivize their efforts through standards include the payment of continued business, and by helping them That means that we recruitment fees, loan advancements, • Local practices are not always aligned build their technical capacity. Nestlé benefits know exactly where with international standards. In Turkey, the documentation retention, and lack of from the increased collaboration: Olam and minimum age of work is 15 for children who freedom of movement as forced labor Balsu internalize Nestlé’s standards and they every nut that we buy have completed their primary education. indicators. Other practices, such as become low risk, self-managing suppliers. However, Turkey has defined seasonal deception about the nature of work, unsafe from Olam and Balsu commercial work in agriculture as one of transportation, partial payment of wages • When companies train and empower their comes from. If you the worst forms of child labor. That is, for or withholding of wages until the end of supply chain partners and provide tools children migrating to work in agriculture the season, excessive hours of work, and for data collection, supply chain mapping don’t know where outside family farms, the minimum age abuse of vulnerability, may not be among becomes a collaborative effort and a is 18. Nevertheless, based on an informal measurable indicators of forced labor. ILO, common responsibility. your raw materials understanding between the various however, considers these practices strong come from, there is regulatory authorities and international indicators of forced labor. • Harnessing technology to create technical alignment between traceability and risk no way that you can assessment promotes efficiency in data be aware of the issues collection. you face in your MEET SAADET, 16, SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER FROM MARDIN supply chain, let alone WORKFORCE TRACEABILITY “We complied without a word. Saadet and her family were deceived by labor come up with effective He threatened to withhold our wages.” contractors on prior occasions. One year, Within the scope of the USDOL project, another contractor told them they would remediation actions.” Balsu developed a traceability software The last labor contractor who recruited harvest cherries. In fact, he had hired them system called GoBalsuFarm, which enables Saadet and her family for the hazelnut harvest to work in the cumin fields, which is tougher - Yann Wyss, Senior Manager, tracking agricultural activities and recording refused to pay them wages totaling 3,000 TL work. He also lied about accommodations. Environment and Impact, Nestlé ₺ geographical information. ($750 USD). The family rejected his offer to The family ended up living in a Ford Transit pay them only a third of what was due them. van during their stay. A key feature of this new system is the ability to combine supply chain (and farmer) Six family members, including two of Saadet’s The first year they worked in the hazelnut traceability with workforce traceability. siblings aged 17 and 15, had worked 12 hours gardens, another labor contractor cut their Company staff can record workers’ profiles, a day in the hazelnut gardens. When Saadet income by nearly a third after they completed including their age and gender, as well as the or her relatives went to the toilet, the labor the job. Saadet has other painful stories to GPS coordinates of their working areas. Balsu contractor accused them of slacking. He tell, but she knows her family has no choice— tested the system during the 2017 harvest. pushed them hard, forcing them to work in the they must keep working as seasonal migrant The system is now ready to be deployed in all rain and skip their daily breaks. workers. hazelnut gardens supplying to Balsu.

8 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 9 LESSONS LEARNED WORKFORCE MAPPING

From early summer to late fall, hundreds “Many people in the past of thousands of people leave their home cities and villages and travel across the have been looking at country, following the harvest seasons of human rights and the various crops, working in farms and orchards throughout Turkey. Research conducted by supply chain. The game Pikolo Association, a local NGO established by teachers to address child labor issues, showed changing moment is that seasonal migrant laborers involved when you get the in the hazelnut harvest also work in other agricultural supply chains, often managed by mid-tier collaborating.” the same labor contractor: - Hanna Jager, Global Responsible Sourcing Lead, Paper, Vanilla and Hazelnut, Nestlé

DÜZCE DÜZCE ORDU ORDU MEET REMZIYE, 38, SEASONAL MIGRANT WORKER, MOTHER OF NINE, IN TRANSITION 6-8 MONTHS A YEAR

KAYSERI “Children should be able to play” family members were delighted when a new KONYA NIGDE ISPARTA shower was installed as a part of this project. KARAMAN

ANTALIA Every spring, Remziye and her family leave Hazelnut harvesters work 10 ½ hours a day in their home in Șanlıurfa to work as seasonal the hazelnut gardens. Each family member gets migrant workers. Remziye and her husband ₺60 TL/day, from which the labor contractor 16 PERCENT ALSO WORK 38 PERCENT ARE ALSO INVOLVED have nine children, aged 9 to 23. deducts a ₺5 TL commission. Wages are only IN THE SUGAR BEET SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE APPLE SUPPLY CHAIN paid at the end of the season. First, they work for three months in the sugar beet fields in Konya in central Turkey. They Because the family is away from home live in tents with no access to running water. for several months harvesting agricultural Recruited through a labor contractor, they have products, the children miss several weeks

DÜZCE DÜZCE ORDU ORDU no employment contract. They only learn how of school every year. Only one of Remziye’s SAKARYA much they will earn when they reach the farms children has so far reached high school level. that hired their labor. Seven family members, During the last hazelnut harvest, Remziye sent

AFYON NEVSEHIR KAYSERI including Remziye’s 12-year-old daughter, work three of her children to the safe space set up

KONYA NIGDE 11-12 hours a day. Collectively, they earn around by the Genç Hayat Foundation and Olam. “It ADANA ₺300–350 TL per day ($75–90 USD). was wonderful. Our income was reduced, but ANTALIA MERSIN HAYTAY we were able to work without worrying about Later in the season, the family moves on to the children. They were very happy,” she says. 34 PERCENT ARE ALSO EMPLOYED 27 PERCENT ALSO WORK Ordu for the hazelnut harvest. Some farmers “If the safe space is open, we’ll definitely send IN THE CITRUS SUPPLY CHAIN IN POTATO PRODUCTION provide accommodation, Remziye says, but the them again this year. Children should be able houses are often in poor condition. Last year, to play.”

10 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 11 KEY PLAYERS: THE LABOR CONTRACTORS As a result of this study, Olam decided to develop the labor contractors’ capacity to MEET MEHMET*, 49, Commissioned by project partners, the civil • 98 percent of labor contractors had contribute to the prevention of child and society organization Pikolo Association previously worked as seasonal migrant forced labor in the supply chain. The company LABOR CONTRACTOR FROM MARDIN conducted field research on labor contractors workers; 73 percent were unaware of now provides awareness-raising training. during the 2017 harvest. Pikolo focused the laws regulating agriculture and their In addition, it actively encourages labor “We are all making the same mistakes, on farms in 46 villages supplying Nestlé. profession. contractors to register with the authorities but I am trying to improve.” Researchers surveyed 277 labor contractors and offers advisory services to help them and recruiters who collectively had brought • A new category of labor contractors, who meet their responsibilities. Mehmet first made the journey to the together 14,000 workers. recruit smaller worker groups of around Black Sea region 33 years ago as a high 20 workers, is challenging established labor As intermediaries between the workforce and school student who was trying to earn Until this study, the labor contractors’ role in intermediaries who traditionally brought up the farmers, labor contractors can facilitate pocket money for the next school term. the supply chain was not well understood. to 150 harvesters. Crucially, the new labor the flow of information about workers and He started off as a worker, but quickly They have since emerged as influential players contractors do not deduct a 10 percent help companies integrate labor-related data rose through the ranks, becoming a labor who can play a crucial role in reducing child commission from the minimum wages paid into their systems. contractor 27 years ago. Depending on the and forced labor. to workers, but get paid by producers. expected size of the crop, as many as 700 Understanding workforce movements workers will travel with him to Sakarya for Main findings: • The study exposed the magnitude of child and flows across and beyond individual the hazelnut harvest. labor in the hazelnut sector and highlighted supply chains broadens the scope for • Only 15 of the 277 labor contractors specific risk areas in the recruitment process. effective interventions and opens up new Mehmet has a side job in electronics and were registered with the Turkish In the western Black Sea region, children areas for collaboration with other industry he is quite well off. He does not rely on his Employment Agency, as required by law. made up 8.5 percent of the workforce. Their actors, including competitors, as well as income as a labor contractor, but over the None of them fulfilled the legal obligations share was 6.4 percent in the eastern region. across sectors. years he has built strong relations with his that registration entails. workers and the hazelnut garden owners. Both sides rely on him. He is especially proud to be helping high school and “I think that one of the most university students who try to finance their important contributions of studies through agricultural work. the project with respect to strengthening the knowledge He is aware that he and other contractors base at the national level is have made mistakes over the years. For to establish a database on a long time they did not consider the agricultural intermediaries welfare of young workers. He is trying to and to raise the awareness improve. Mehmet attended the training on of agricultural intermediaries child labor organized by the Genç Hayat Foundation. The information he received (labor contractors) through shook him and he is now very sensitive to organized trainings. Expanding child labor. The training motivated him to the labor contractor database obtain his labor contractor certificate from will be an important step in IŞKUR, the state employment agency. He fighting child labor through intends to use his new status to speak up the gradual increase in the for the workers and help them. number of registered agricultural intermediaries * name changed and effective control over them.”

- Nejat Kocabay, Senior Programme Officer, International Labour Organization

HARVESTING THE FUTURE 13 LESSONS LEARNED • As part of their risk assessment, monitoring, and ethical recruitment practices, companies can include the RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING following steps:

1. Holding a preliminary discussion • Mapping the labor force and conducting household-level surveys enables companies with workers on the nature of work to identify specific risk areas in their supply chain. and terms and conditions, such as tasks to be performed, hours of work, • Conducting detailed research helps identify the root causes of child and forced labor issues, compensation, and living conditions and often reduces the need for annual monitoring activities. 2. Providing an employment contract • Risk assessment processes must include gender- and child-sensitive indicators. in a language understandable to the worker 3. Providing safe and free transportation of workers from the home base to the work location 4. Processing of paperwork cost-free, CHILD-SENSITIVE INDICATORS GENDER-SENSITIVE INDICATORS such as travel documents, insurance, CAN INCLUDE: CAN INCLUDE: identity, and age verification

documents • child rights-based approach • number of toilets, changing rooms, and protection 5. Ensuring that any monetary advances • management systems equipment for women provided to workers for travel or with robust age verification as confirmation of employment mechanisms • community programs that target presents no risk of debt bondage; women for service delivery • remediation policies that are no recruitment fees or related costs sensitive to children’s needs • budget allocated to gender- for workers specific programs • number of children removed 6. Introducing workers to the farmers from the workplace • number of initiatives to provide (employers) and negotiating childcare support and/or acceptable working hours and • contractual clauses prohibiting facilities to workers compensation with farmers suppliers from employing child labor • number of community 7. Providing housing/accommodation engagement programs for the workers, free of cost and of • living wages paid targeting women sufficient quality to adult workers • percentage of suppliers 8. Resolving worker grievances or • health and safety statistics with gender equality policies complaints that may arise while they disaggregated for workers or programs work on the farms under 18 • percentage of suppliers that 9. Providing access to services, • of hours spent in report on their gender-equality such as medical services, childcare education by children removed policies and practices for families, schools for workers’ from the workplace children, or legal advice • number of suppliers trained 10. Ensuring that workers receive their on combating child labor actual wages (cash and in-kind benefits) in a timely manner

14 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION LESSONS LEARNED LESSONS LEARNED COMMUNICATION AND GRIEVANCE REMEDIATION

MECHANISMS • Companies should commit to long-term • In addition to safe spaces, it is important interventions that help address systemic to provide children with reliable and secure • The USDA Guidelines require companies to Based on the information acquired during the issues, such as lack of childcare services. For transportation they can use to reach the communicate their standards and principles project, Olam and Balsu pioneered an innovative example, the project showed that seasonal safe spaces. The Genç Hayat Foundation, throughout their supply chain. In the course way to provide awareness-raising trainings worker families were willing to send their Balsu, and Olam provided a bus service to seasonal migrant workers. They organized of this project, awareness-raising activities children to safe spaces during the harvest, that shuttled from farm to farm and to the training sessions in the workers’ hometowns as long as safe transportation was available. workers camp to collect children and take reached: during the months when they were not engaged them to the safe spaces. This significantly • local and seasonal migrant workers in agricultural work. Previously, such trainings • farmers, including women farmers were conducted at the end of the day during • Some of the remediation interventions increased the willingness of parents not to • agricultural business communities the harvest, when workers were tired and less tried by the companies in the context of involve their children in work in the farms. • commodity brokers receptive. The Genç Hayat Foundation and the this project, with the cooperation of NGOs • hazelnut crackers and processors Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work as implementing partners, can be turned • labor contractors (KEDV) were able to contact workers in their over to local authorities with only minor places of origin through the labor contractors adjustments. For example, the safe spaces • government agencies who had recruited them. • civil society organizations for children were managed by NGOs, but housed in government school facilities. The • Establishing easy channels of safe spaces are being taken over by the local communication allows workers authorities and will be run as temporary to voice their concerns or grievances. summer schools during the harvest season.

• and Olam and Balsu established a grievance collaboration—at local, national, and WORKER VOICE: FLA CONNECT procedure in four villages supplying Nestlé international levels; and with other during the 2017 harvest. Social workers companies, mid-tier actors in the supply employed by the companies encouraged chains, NGOs, and local and national workers to make use of the FLA Connect tool authorities—is essential to ensure long-term to relay information related to: sustainability of remediation efforts and program expansion. • child and forced labor • unethical recruitment practices • Adopting a collaborative approach • workplace harassment and abuse and forging partnerships with other • health, safety, and transportation issues stakeholders is particularly important for • supervisor or farmer bad behavior or small and medium-sized companies with misconduct limited resources for social compliance The FLA developed a mobile • adverse changes in employment conditions and remediation activities. application—FLA Connect— • excessive hours of work that allows laborers to provide • compensation issues • Establishing safe spaces for children ongoing feedback even when • discrimination of seasonal migrant workers, most at risk of child labor, kept hundreds of children away on the move via: • violations of freedom of association and from the workplace. When conducted in a local mobile number collective bargaining rights cooperation with civil society organizations an online form The technology also pushes information to and public agencies, such interventions live chat the workers, enabling them to exercise their are a cost-effective and sustainable way of email rights and survey them during their life cycle protecting children. as a seasonal migrant labor. It is a tool for empowerment, transparency, and .

16 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 17 CHILD LABOR MONITORING AND REFERRAL UNITS LESSONS LEARNED “We conducted a survey in Ordu, almost at the end of the season. Located in villages identified as risk areas, COMMUNICATION AND REMEDIATION Some people were living in terrible the Child Labor Monitoring and Referral conditions, but women worked hard Units, run by the Genç Hayat Foundation, were established in schools affiliated to keep their houses neat. They had A gender-sensitive approach should be with the Ministry of Education. Aimed at rugs to cover the ground. We also integrated in all program components. children aged between 10-15 years of age, Women are important agents of social saw some places that were in good considered most at risk of child labor, change. Interventions that empower “We tell women that it is important condition. Olam worked hard in they offer a secure environment where women, whether they are workers or to have a contract, which makes it Ordu, and invested to provide children of seasonal workers can have fun farmers, often have an impact well easier for them to defend their rights better living conditions for workers. and benefit from educational activities beyond the individuals involved, and and access public services. Often We have been trying to pilot better while their adult relatives are harvesting positively affect the broader community. workers only learn a week or two accommodation. There are now hazelnuts. after they’ve started working how government funds available. much they will be paid. They have Teachers and volunteers identify the Governorships can apply for funding already borrowed money to buy children’s needs, and mobilize government NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHERHOOD PROJECT to establish accommodation sites.” and local resources to provide services. food. We also tell them children Safe spaces have a positive impact on shouldn’t work.” - Gökçen Durutaș, KEDV KEDV launched the Neighborhood parents as well as on the children. They Motherhood project in Mardin, the place - Ayten, 23, seasonal migrant worker contribute to raising awareness of child of origin of many migrant workers, and Neighborhood Mother labor issues and changing behaviors. to empower women who work in the hazelnut sector. The organization recruited eight young women from the worker community and trained them to reach out to their peers and play a leadership role. “For the trip to the harvest, 30 people are crammed with their luggage into With the help of labor contractors school minibuses designed for 15 STORIES FROM THE SAFE SPACES FOR CHILDREN RUN BY THE GENÇ HAYAT FOUNDATION involved in the Pikolo survey, KEDV people. Each worker has to pay 100 identified 100 households whose members ₺ TL ($25 USD) for transport (note: Thirteen-year-old Seda Nur from Adana either When Polat, 11, from Șanlıurfa, first attended work in Olam’s supply chain. Conducting home visits, the young community leaders the equivalent of approximately two had to work in hazelnut gardens or look after the safe space in Ordu, he was hot-tempered, days of net wages). Before we leave, her 4-year-old sister during the harvest. unwilling to communicate, and behaving assess needs and provide information on aggressively toward his peers, the volunteers, child development and labor rights, with we go to the market and stock up on Genç Hayat Foundation staff convinced and the administrators. the help of Olam experts. The training pasta and bulgur (cracked wheat). her family to send her to the safe space. includes financial literacy to help the Between transportation and food, Her parents made alternative childcare After he spent a few days at the safe target group of women workers budget almost 1,000 TL ($ 250) are spent arrangements for her younger sister, putting space, Polat’s attitude began to change and avoid the debt trap common among before we even leave.” an end to Seda Nur’s hidden employment. dramatically. He started to share his seasonal agricultural workers. concerns and problems with the volunteers. KEDV convinced local public agencies— - Medya, 18, Neighborhood Mother in Mardin. At the safe space, volunteers helped Seda He became more inclusive and made friends. For the past 4-5 years, she has harvested governorship, health authorities, Nur prepare for the nationwide entrance At one point, one of his peers shared her hazelnuts in the Black Sea region with four exam for secondary education. Her two hurt feelings about one of their discussions. department for the family and siblings, aged 17–21. cousins, who had initially shown no interest “I didn’t know you felt bad. I’m sorry,” he social policies—to form an advisory in safe space activities, eventually joined the said. He asked for her favorite color and group. During regular meetings, the lessons and the creative workshops. All of made her a gift using that color during one Neighborhood Mothers submit cases in them attended the safe space for the entire of the workshops. She reciprocated with a need of assistance, identified during home harvest season. present of her own. visits, to the advisory group.

18 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 19 LESSONS LEARNED INTERNAL REVIEW AND HUMAN RESOURCES “This year, our company started a women’s program. Women farmers • Nestlé, Olam, and Balsu have developed • The three companies actively engaged internal standards and responsible with the local authorities and government were saying: ‘we are the ones sourcing guidelines. In the course of ministries. Child and forced labor are thorny working in the gardens.’ We have the project, the buyer and the suppliers issues for governments as well as for private now worked with 100 women played complementary roles in field-level sector companies. Both sides benefit from and involved the Ministry for monitoring. Nestlé strategically opted not to cooperating to address systemic causes. the Family and Social Affairs. get involved in field-level monitoring, as its two FLA-affiliated suppliers already carried We teach the women farmers out this function. “As competitors, Balsu and Olam about health and safety, good sometimes found it hard to work hazelnut production, and other • The three companies involved in the project together. At the same time, we all topics, but most importantly, designated staff members to take charge of know that we can have a greater we also have a social module social compliance and sustainability issues. impact together. It is a fruitful and By identifying specific people and assigning to train about relations with good cooperation. Together, you workers, child labor, and how the responsibility to focus on the USDA Guidelines, companies can facilitate effective are more likely to affect the people contracts should be drawn. implementation. you are dealing with. When our three companies, Nestlé, Olam, These issues were new to the “Women farmers work and Balsu, together with the FLA, women. They take them more • When multiple partners with diverse expectations, skills, and capabilities are go to a ministry together, people seriously than men, and provide with the laborers in the working together, one partner must play a listen to them. It’s an advantage.” feedback. They say ‘I agree or I field, so if they get more coordinating role. In the current project, the don’t agree.’ Men tend to talk less training, they can do FLA performed this “backbone function.” - Burcu Turkay, Sustainability Manager, Olam and they don’t spread the word In the absence of a third-party facilitator, as much. They don’t try to change better. We are in this companies at the top of the value chain are the community. together now.” best placed to facilitate and coordinate the work of multiple stakeholders. We have to reach the women— COMPANY COLLABORATION - Refika Ünlü, hazelnut farmer, participant the farmers’ wives, their sisters, in Balsu training for women producers • Companies should experiment with new their daughters—because methods to gain the trust and confidence In the course of the USDOL-funded project, they are influential or even of workers and maximize the impact of their locally based staff members from Nestlé, decision makers.” field interventions. For the 2017 harvest, Olam, and Balsu were able to achieve Olam and Balsu hired social workers. Their a high degree of coordination through regular in-person meetings. By reaching - Esra Saricicek Cakar, role was to reach out to workers, farmers, Sustainability Manager, Balsu and the local community to disseminate out together to local authorities, they company standards and boost engagement also wielded greater influence. Through with local stakeholders. the appointment of a Local Responsible Sourcing Manager in the field, Nestlé gained deeper insight into the challenges faced by its suppliers.

20 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 21 FUTURE FOCUS

By investing time and effort into this pilot project, Nestlé, Olam, and Balsu, in partnership with the FLA, have shown the way forward for agricultural companies wishing to “This project is a “The pilot project has had significant embrace ethical sourcing practices. They have real life example of how leverage and positive impact on company demonstrated the effectiveness of the USDA Guidelines as a practical roadmap to lead collaboration can make a practices in terms of improving internal companies as they set up risk assessment, monitoring, and remediation systems to real change on the ground. standards, encouraging strategic thinking, reduce the risk of child labor and forced labor and creating opportunities for collaboration in their supply chains. Not only accelerating toward the elimination of child and forced The USDOL-funded program enabled our understanding of labour in the hazelnut supply chain in hundreds of children at risk of child labor to enjoy carefree days in safe spaces away the root causes but Turkey. Of course, there is still work to be from hazelnut gardens during the harvest. Numerous women farmers, labor contractors, expanding the capacity- done to promote and align the applicable seasonal farm workers, and public officials, building actions we standards with a wider range of actors, have acquired new knowledge of labor rights and child protection. were deploying in silos. and to continue to adapt grievance mechanisms, monitoring approaches, Research has unveiled exciting new avenues for long-term collaboration within and beyond We look forward to and various remediation efforts to the the hazelnut supply chain. NGOs involved in the project have built up their internal replicating such success realities of seasonal and migrant labour. capacity and broadened the scope of their in other commodities Nonetheless, the pilot project has created actions by working hand-in-hand with the private sector. and locations.” strong momentum and a clear path forward

Nestlé, Olam, and Balsu have gained new - Benjamin Ware, Global Head for the participant companies, and it is insights that have already led to lasting of Responsible Sourcing, Nestlé hoped that they will sustain and expand changes in their management systems. Building on these foundations, layer by layer, their efforts in Turkey, as well as to apply they will continue to develop scalable and the approaches and lessons learned to sustainable interventions and experiment with new methods to reduce risks in their supply other products and other geographies.” chains, in hazelnuts and beyond. - Just Governance Group

22 FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION HARVESTING THE FUTURE 23 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Funding was provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-28101-15-75-K-11.

DISCLAIMER: This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government. Ninety-seven percent of the total costs of the project were financed with Federal funds, for a total of $4,996,000 USD.