Coffee and Human Rights Abuses

Widespread and Systematic Human Rights Violations Were Documented in the Coffee Industry in the Past 20 Years

Over the past two decades, investigators have consistently uncovered widespread and systematic human rights abuses and environmental degradation in the coffee industry. NGOs, unions, investigators, and journalists have all documented severe, widespread, and systemaic abuses in coffee, stretching back decades.

The problem is not restricted to just one area. Rather the abuses we know of span the world, covering coffee-producing countries such as Brazil, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uganda, and Vietnam.

Challenges are both global and industry wide. Documented violations are connected to major certification schemes, such as Fairtrade, UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, 4C, and Global Coffee Platform. These documented violations are also attributed to many major coffee companies and traders, such as Casemex, EGOS, Merino, Cooxupé, Dunkin Doughnuts, Falcon Coffees, Lavazza, McDonalds, Nespresso, Nestlé, JDE, and Starbucks. These and other companies named in the reports listed below have much to answer for with respect to rights abuses and extreme poverty in their supply chains.

The extent of abuses documented in these reports illustrates that most large multinational coffee corporations knew or should have known about the high risk for human rights abuses in coffee production, should have undertaken robust due diligence to identify and prevent abuses, and should have made significant efforts to comply with applicable law (slavery, child labor, and illegal deforestation are all crimes in coffee-producing countries and have long been so). Unfortunately, the reports show that many corporations and certification schemes have failed for the past two decades to ensure all the coffee in their supply chains was made in compliance with laws. Most of the coffee industry has fundamentally failed to take decisive actions to transform its harmful practices, resulting in coffee supply chains that are neither ethical nor sustainable.

Child labor

Overview: One of the most egregious human rights violations in the coffee industry is the well-documented and widespread prevalence of child labor. The coffee industry ranks fourth¹ among all industries associated with child labor according to International Labor Organization statistics. The issue of child labor often derives from the need of small family farms to rely on their children’s labor for survival due to these families receiving minimal wages. This practice, while deeply rooted in economic necessity, perpetuates a cycle of poverty and limited opportunities for the younger generation.

• In Guatemala, a 2011 study by Danish journalists found that 87% of coffee workers had observed children under fourteen working on plantations. Julie Hjerl Hansen, Bitter Coffee-Guatemala, September 2016.
• A 2012 NGO report on child labor in Guatemalan coffee found that approximately 507,000 children aged seven to fourteen are engaged in some form of “work.” This staggering number equates to one out of every five Guatemalan children in that age range. Guatemalan law prohibits workers under age fourteen, with some exceptions for “apprenticeships” and/or extreme poverty. But enforcement of child labor laws is limited, especially in agricultural sectors – such as the coffee industry. Pascale Schuit, Union Hand Roasted Coffee, Children’s Work in the Coffee Sector in Guatemala, 2012.
• A follow up study to the 2011 report uncovered alarming evidence of children as young as five to seven years old working on coffee plantations. These vulnerable young children are forced to sacrifice their childhoods in order to help their often-impoverished families. In turn, these children are forced to omit crucial early education to work in harsh conditions, thereby irreparably damaging their future prospects and likely perpetuating a cycle of poverty and exploitation. Julie Hjerl Hansen, Bitter Coffee II, September 2016.)
• The “Impact x Nightline” documentary² investigates evidence of child labor on multiple ethically certified coffee farms in southern Mexico, despite claims by coffee companies that their beans are produced under humane conditions. The report found children as young as six years old working on a Rainforest Alliance-certified farm in Chiapas, Mexico in 2021. The documentary also shows adult farmers from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms admitting that child labor is common, with some farmers estimating that up to twenty children are working in just one community.
• In Uganda, a study conducted by several NGOs in four eastern districts found an overall child labor prevalence of 48%, with the subset consisting of 51% young boys and 42% young girls. From this subset, four out of every ten children aged five to seventeen were engaged in “hazardous” work. This “hazardous” work included using sharp tools, working extremely long hours, being exposed to agrochemicals, and carrying extremely heavy loads. Overall, fifty-four percent of the children in this study reported experiencing at least one work-related injury or illness in the preceding twelve months, with an additional thirty-eight percent reporting that they were punished for making mistakes as well as for failing to fulfill required tasks. This study revealed that child labor in the Ugandan coffee industry is widespread, with the worst offenders being Kapchorwa (65% child workers) and Bududa (50% child workers). Africhild Centre, Terres Des Hommes Netherlands, Child Labor in The Coffee Sector: Finding and Policy Recommendations, 2022.
• Child labor is widespread and systematic on the small-scale farms in Nicaragua. A 2011 report by a civil society group found that children often work long hours, face health and safety risks, and miss out on vital education. Factors such as labor shortages, lack of accessible schools in rural areas, poverty, and lack of enforcement on small farms all exacerbate the problem of child labor. There are some attempts to mitigate some of the harm, such as the “Educational Bridges” program. This program was formed by the League against Child Labor and a coalition of ten international and national NGOs during a 2010 forum that addressed the “Best Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Path to Eradicate Child Labor.” Following this forum, twenty-three coffee producers agreed to participate in the program. This widespread participation has allowed approximately 1,370 children in rural agricultural areas to have access to education prevented their participation in child labor. In general, this program seeks to reduce child labor by keeping schools open during harvesting season as well as provide access to rural agricultural areas. Enterate Project, Corporate Social Responsibility Review: Risks of Child Labor in Select Coffee Farms in Nicaragua, August 2011.
• A 2023 report on Starbucks’ supply chain in Brazil noted that there were at least two instances of child labor, on Messas Farm and on Cedro-Chapadão Farm. The work demanded of these children consisted of handling coffee bags that weighed up to 60 kilos (approx. 130 pounds). This grueling task has been included on the “List of the Worst Forms of Child Labor.” Hélen Freitas, Poliana Dellabrida, Starbucks Slave and Child Labor Found at Certified Farms in Minas Geiras, Reporter Brasil, November 11th, 2023.

Slave Labor & Forced labor

Overview: In addition to child labor, many case studies and reports find working conditions within coffee farms were often analogous to slavery. As seen in the reports below, workers on coffee plantations frequently endure grueling conditions such as unreasonably long working hours and lack of access to basic necessities. This type of labor usually is the result of debt bondage. Migrant workers are especially vulnerable in these scenarios, as the lack formal of contracts and legal protections leave them at the mercy of unscrupulous employers.

When workers are rescued from these conditions, farm owners ideally will face legal and financial repercussions. For example, in Brazil³ , employers can be added to the “Dirty List”, which is a register of employers held responsible for slave labor. Being listed can result in fines and penalties, suspension or cancelation of certifications, difficulty accessing government subsidies, and loss of international business partnerships.

While rescues of workers does happen, this does not mean governments are adequately addressing the issue. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) enacted its own program⁴ from December 2012 to December 2018 called “Consolidating and Disseminating Efforts to Combat Forced Labor in Brazil and Peru” (CDECFL). The goal of this program was to address the prevenance of both forced labor and child labor in Brazil and Peru. The DOL has expressed that even when Brazil has enacted “robust laws, policies, and a labor inspection system . . . workers continue to be subjected to forced labor”. U.S. Department of Labor, Consolidating and Disseminating Efforts to Combat Forced Labor in Brazil and Peru, December 2012. Similarly, Peru has “workers from indigenous communities and rural areas [whom] are vulnerable to forced labor . . . [even when] the government of Peru has implemented policies to address forced labor”. Id. In reviewing Peru’s policy implementations, the DOL has expressed that it has failed to allocate sufficient resources to combat forced labor. As seen by this report, even when countries do try and enact change through legislation, it still is not enough to address the issue at hand. Because of this, more must be done to adequately combat the prevalence of slave labor in the coffee industry.

• Workers in Brazil have been found trapped in debt bondage. Employers illegally withhold necessary documents such as ID cards and/or passports. It is a common practice within the coffee industry for employers to refuse to provide proper worker contracts and payment stubs, thus making it nearly impossible for aggrieved workers to contest wrongs done against them. These types of practices clearly violate Article 149 of the Brazilian Criminal Code, which states that it is illegal to “reduce someone to a condition analogous to slavery, either by submitting [them] to hard labor or [an] exhausting journey or subjecting them to degrading working conditions or restricting by any means, locomotion due to debt incurred with the employer or agent”. C.P. art. 149. In 2022, seventeen workers -- including some minors -- were rescued from ‘modern slavery conditions’ at the Messas Farm in Campos Altos, Brazil. Similarly, at the Cedro-Chapadão Farm in Lecidea, a seventeen-year-old was rescued from “modern slave labor”, with twenty-five other workers found in poor conditions. Rescues are primarily conducted by inspectors from the Ministry of Labor and Employment. These government officials carry out inspection operations at farms where labor violations are either suspected or reported. When these officials find workers in conditions analogous to slavery and/or other severe labor violations, they rescue the workers from these situations. Hélen Freitas, Poliana Dellabrida, Starbucks Slave and Child Labor Found at Certified Farms in Minas Gerais, Reporter Brasil, November 11th, 2023.
• In a comprehensive Danwatch report on Nestlé’s supply chain, it was confirmed that workers were rescued from “slavery like” conditions. Furthermore, from 2009 to 2015, it appears that approximately 101 workers were freed from six different plantations. Among other documented conditions, workers did not have access to clean drinking water or toilets at their workplace. Danwatch, Slavery-like Working Conditions at Suppliers to World’s Largest Coffee Company.
• A report by Brazilian journalists addresses how multinational coffee companies continue to purchase from suppliers linked to farms where slave labor was found. For example, List + Beisler, a German company specializing in premium coffees, imported two batches of coffee from Coopercitrus between December 2021 and January 2022 after workers were rescued from farms linked to Coopercitrus suppliers. Highlighting the prevalence of slave labor in the coffee industry, in 2021, labor inspectors rescued 310 victims of slave labor on 20 different coffee farms in Brazil, which is the highest recorded number since 2003. Poliana Dallabride Wisentainer, Multinational Coffee Companies Ignore Accusations and Continue Buying from Suppliers Linked to Farms with Slave Labor, Reporter Brasil, May 12th 2022.
• This article highlights the rampant problem of slave labor in Brazil. In 2020, “140 workers were rescued from slave-labor-like conditions at coffee plantations, all of them in Minas Gerais”. Daniel Camargos, Labor Rights Violations at Brazil Coffee Farm Linked to Starbucks, Nespresso, Mongabay, September 30th, 2021.
• In July 2018, Brazilian labor inspectors found six employees working in conditions analogous to slavery. These violations included: 17-hour work shifts, unhygienic housing conditions, and lack of proper toilets and kitchen facilities. Daniel Camargos, Slave Labor Found at Second Starbucks-Certified Brazilian Coffee Farm, Mongabay, May 3rd, 2019.
• This article discusses the involvement of major coffee companies Nespresso and Starbucks in purchasing coffee from a farm that was caught using slave labor in Brazil. Labor Tax Auditors here found six workers on the Cedro II Farm (owned by Helvécio Batista) in conditions “similar to slavery”. Specifically, workers were subjected to exhausting workdays, usually lasting from approximately six in the morning to eleven pm. While at workstations, individuals often lacked bathrooms and kitchens for meal preparation. Notably, Cedro II Farm held certification schemes from both Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. It is important to address that in a follow-up update to this article, UTZ clarified that it had supposedly certified a neighboring farm managed by Batista, not the one directly addressed in the article. As a result of the intervention from the Labor Tax Auditors, Cedro II Farm was placed on the “Dirty List”. Camilla Freitas, Nespresso and Starbucks Bought Farm Coffee Caught with Slave Labor, Repórter Brasil, April 4th, 2019.
• Reporter Brasil - https://reporterbrasil.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Cafe_PT_Web.pdf
• A 2019 Reuters article reported that over 300 workers nationwide were rescued from various coffee plantations due to slave-labor-like conditions, which would have been the highest in the past fifteen years. This article further states that in just one night, over fifty workers were rescued from just two plantations in Minas Gerais. Fabio Teixeria, Picked by Slaves: Coffee Crisis Brews in Brazil, Reuters, December 12th, 2019.
• A 2024 report stated that from 1996 to 2023, Brazilian labor inspectors found 3,700 workers in slave-like conditions on coffee plantations throughout Brazil. Despite efforts to combat “modern” slavery in Brazil, cases continue to emerge in these plantations, with the worst offenders coming out of the Minas Gerais region of Brazil – which happens to be the country’s primary producing state. Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, SOMO, Bitter Brew – Modern Slavery in the Coffee Industry, January 2024
• Conectas OECD complaint
• This short video has multiple accounts from victims of slave labor detailing their experiences. For example, workers state they were lured into working at coffee plantations with promises of “good pay”. Furthermore, workers were told they would not have to pay for rent, food, or equipment. However, upon arrival all these promises were broken. Through the practice of debt bondage, workers were charged for tools, equipment, and supplies. Furthermore, all of the workers’ food was deducted from their total pay along with any accommodations, such as housing. As a result of these unethical practices, workers were unable to leave the plantations due to the extreme amount of debt they were placed under. Oxfam_Mancha De Café (https://www.oxfam.org.br/justica-rural-e-desenvolvimento/por-tras-do-preco/mancha-de-cafe/)
• This short documentary follows Jorge, who was a former victim of slave labor in Brazil. As a major activist for the slave-labor movement, Jorge receives “tips” and attempts to coordinate with local authorities to expose the violations of rights. The video, documents various poor working conditions and debt bondage. While workers that are rescued receive unemployment insurance and even “back pay,” these workers are often back in these horrible conditions due to the ongoing struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Witness Documentary, Rescuing Coffee Farm Workers from Slave-like Conditions in Brazil, YouTube, August 19th, 2024.
• ADERE report: This report addresses widespread forced labor in the Brazilian coffee industry, particularly in southern Minas Gerais – an area which accounts for the largest number of cases of labor “analogous to slavery” among Brazilian coffee farms. Between 2015 and 2019, at least 495 workers were rescued from conditions “analogous to slavery” on coffee plantations. Common violations listed within this report are human trafficking, grooming, degrading working conditions, retention of worker’s documents and wages, inhumane housing, and exhausting working hours. Coordination of Rural Employees of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, Slave Labor in Coffee Farms in Brazil and the Role of Transnational Companies, November 27th, 2019.

Wage theft & payments under the minimum wage

Overview: In addition to slavery-like working conditions, coffee workers that do get paid often face exploitation through wages under the minimum wage and/or unreasonable takings from wages to pay for various equipment that is necessary for workers to complete tasks. Wage theft and payments under the minimum wage are closely linked to the prevalence of child labor.⁵ When adult workers are underpaid or have their wages stolen, families struggle to make ends meet, often forcing children to work to supplement necessary household income.

• In Guatemala, even with family members helping, workers frequently earn far below the country’s minimum wage. For example, a 2015 Danwatch study found that a family of five needed about 13 times more than what some families reported earning to afford basic necessities. Julie Hjrel Hansen, Bitter Coffee – Guatemala, Danwatch, September 8th, 2016.
• A 2019 Mongabay article, reported that Brazilian workers at Pedreira Farm in Minas Gerais state had up to 30% of their wages illegally deducted to pay for portable harvesting machines and fuel. Daniel Camargos, Slave Labor Found at Second Starbucks-Certified Brazilian Coffee Farm, Mongabay, May 3rd, 2019.
• In Mexico in 2024, the Swiss NGO Public Eye found that coffee farmers report receiving prices for their coffee that are below their production costs, making it impossible to earn a living wage. These farmers further express that they need around 40-50 pesos per kilo of coffee to make a “good living” but are currently receiving only 26 pesos per kilo. Florian Blumer, Carla Hoinkes et al, High Hopes Low Prices – How Nestlé is Driving Mexican Coffee Farmers to Ruin, Public Eye, March 2024.
• This report addresses wage theft and/or payments under the minimum wage practices in three countries. In Brazil, wages were insufficient to afford even a basic living. In Honduras, serious wage violations included “piece-rate” pay often falling below the minimum wage. Specifically, workers earned less than half the minimum salary. Lastly, in India pay for seasonal migrant workers was below minimum wage. Anu Kultalahti, Finnwatch, Brewing Up a Sustainable Coffee Supply Chain – The Social Responsibility of Coffee Roasters and Private Label Coffee in Finland, October 2016.
• In a 2023 article put out by Repórter Brasil, it reported on recent incidents of labor violations and slave labor on Rainforest Alliance-certified farms in Brazil. For context, Rainforest Alliance is a massive global certification scheme that verifies “good”⁶ practices on farms. There were approximately 1,047 certified farms and around 70,000 workers on these farms at the time of this report being published. In 2022, two farms holding the Rainforest Alliance certification had a total of twenty-seven workers rescued from “conditions analogous to slavery”. While the report does not detail the conditions nor the location and names of these two farms, it still makes clear the point that even coffee farms that have been approved for certification schemes still contain slave labor. André Campos and Naira Hofmeister, Slave Labor Risk Leads Certifier to Impose More Rigour on Brazilian Farms, Repórter Brasil, January 8th, 2023.
• In this 2022 article, ABC News reported on a year-long investigation into ethically certified coffee farms in southern Mexico. During this investigation, ABC News found evidence of child labor and farmers living in poverty on multiple farms certified by organizations such as Rainforest Alliance. For example, investigators discovered children as young as six working on a Rainforest Alliance certified farm – which is in clear violation of the organization’s policy against child labor. When confronted with this evidence, Rainforest Alliance stated that they do not inspect all certified farms. However, it is important to note that Rainforest Alliance ultimately did pull its certifications from the farms where ABC News reporters reported these violations. David Scott, Evan Simon, et al., Caffeine Jungle: Child Labor, Struggling Farmers Found on ‘Ethically’ Certified Coffee Farms in Southern Mexico, ABC News, October 21st, 2022.

Conclusion

The coffee industry has a long history of widespread and systematic tolerance of or use of child labor, slavery, forced labor, and forest destruction, including illegal deforestation in national parks. It knew or should have known about these abuses. The many reports presented above were written independently, in different geographies, by over a dozen credible organizations and news agencies, spanning two decades. These same reports indicate that certification has been no guarantee of compliance with local human rights laws or with a zero-deforestation approach to production. Clearly, the whole industry needs to clean up its act.