• About
  • Knowledge Hub
    • English
      • Español
      • Indonesia
      • Français
      • Deutsch
      • 日本語
      • Português
For Individuals
For Business
  • The Latest
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • What our seal means
  • What We Are Doing
    • Our Impacts
    • Our Approach
    • Issues
      • Forests & Biodiversity
      • Livelihoods
      • Climate
      • Human rights
    • Regions
      • Asia
      • Central America & Mexico
      • East Africa
      • South America
      • West & Central Africa
  • What You Can Do
    • Support Our Work
    • Everyday Actions
    • Find the Frog
    • School Curricula
    • Kids Games & Activities
    • Shop to Support
  • For Business
    • Certification
    • Marketing Sustainability
    • Tailored Supply Chain Services
    • For Partners
  • About
  • Help Center
  • The Latest
  • Events
  • English
    • Español
    • Indonesia
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • 日本語
    • Português
  • What We Are Doing
      • small frog
      • Our Impacts

        See the positive change our work is making around the world.
        LEARN MORE

        Our Approach

      • Issues

      • Forests & Biodiversity
      • Livelihoods
      • Climate
      • Human Rights
      • Regions

      • Asia
      • East Africa
      • West & Central Africa
      • South America
      • Mexico & Central America
  • What You Can Do
      • Tall Trees
      • Support Our Work

        There are many ways you can protect rainforests, fight climate change, and help people and wildlife thrive.
        EXPLORE YOUR GIVING OPTIONS

      • Everyday Actions

      • Find the Frog
      • School Curricula
      • Kids’ Games & Activities
      • Shop to Support
      • For Business

      • Transform your business practices
  • What Our Seal Means
      • The Rainforest Alliance certification seal means that the product (or a specified ingredient) was produced by farmers, foresters, and/or companies working together to create a world where people and nature thrive in harmony.
        LEARN MORE

  • Donate

Home » Issues » Human rights » Forced Labor » Page 2

Forced Labor

Worker carrying sack of coffee.

Photo credit: Fara Coffee

The production of many agricultural goods—coffee, cocoa, bananas, and other fruits and vegetables—often involves risks of forced labor. Advancing the human rights of rural communities is key to our vision of a world where people and nature thrive in harmony. This includes protecting farmworkers’ rights and addressing forced labor in agriculture.

This page features information about the Rainforest Alliance's work to tackle the issue and links to all our forced labor-related content and resources.

We bring together farmers, companies, governments, and civil society organizations to collaborate for systemic change. We work to advance responsible business practices and government policy, and within our own certification program and sustainable development initiatives to advance human rights in the production landscapes where we work.

Quick Links


WHAT’S IN OUR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM? ASSESS-AND-ADDRESS

Our certification program promotes an assess-and-address approach to tackling forced labor. It focuses on prevention, engagement, improvement, and incentivizing farmers and companies to tackle this issue head on.

FORCED LABOR POSITION PAPER

Download this paper for an in-depth look at the Rainforest Alliance’s position and approach to tackling forced labor.

PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS ACROSS SECTORS AND REGIONS

Download this sell sheet to learn how we help companies to address forced labor and other human rights risks in their supply chains and sourcing landscapes.

FORCED LABOR AND CHILD LABOR RISK MAPS

Manage risk with the Rainforest Alliance child labor and forced labor sectoral risk maps

Our Work: Forced labor


Project Profiles

Project Profile: Improving Livelihoods of Farmers and Workers Across the Fruit Sector in Latin America

This project will provide training and engagement to at least 37,093 workers in the avocado and berry (strawberry and raspberry) sectors in Mexico and the banana and pineapple sectors in Costa Rica.

Learn More
Project Profiles

Project Profile: Tackling Forced Labor and Child Labor in the Ghanaian Cocoa and Gold Mining Sectors

Amid Ghana’s tropical forests and lush hills, the cocoa and gold industries are booming. Ghana is the largest gold producer in Africa, and Ghana and Côte D'Ivoire account for over 60% of global cocoa production.

Learn More
Project Profiles

Project Profile: Mobilizing Türkiye's Hazelnut Villages to Act on Child Labor and Poor Working Conditions

In the rugged hills of Turkey's Black Sea coast, hazelnut production is still mostly manual and heavily reliant on seasonal hired labor.

Learn More
Organizational Updates

How We’re Addressing Forced Labor in the Coffee Industry

To tackle forced labor in the coffee industry, we must also address the social, economic and political issues that go beyond the farm. The solution will require collaboration between farmer communities, companies, civil society, governments, and others.

Learn More

All resources for Forced Labor


Filter by:
Annual Report

2021 Annual Report: We Grow Together

Explore the Rainforest Alliance 2021 Annual Report! Inside you’ll meet the farmers, forest communities, businesses, and individuals who are working with us to create a world where people and nature... View more

Published on June 15, 2022
Available in: English, Spanish, German, French, Indonesian, Portuguese, Japanese

Organizational Updates

How Our Assess-and-Address Approach is Tackling Human Rights Issues

Our assess-and-address approach focuses on prevention, engagement, and improvement of human rights issues, and incentivizes farmers and companies to tackle human rights issues rather than hide them.

Published on April 21, 2022

Project Profiles

Project Profile: Improving Livelihoods of Farmers and Workers Across the Fruit Sector in Latin America

This project will provide training and engagement to at least 37,093 workers in the avocado and berry (strawberry and raspberry) sectors in Mexico and the banana and pineapple sectors in Costa Rica.

Published on February 25, 2022

Coffee farmer Anna Cheptoek Chemutai and her husband Alfred
Article

Why We Advocate for Mandatory Due Diligence Legislation

Mandatory due diligence legislation can ensure that companies identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for potential risks and negative impacts that their practices may have on human rights and the environment.

Published on February 9, 2022

Project Profiles

Project Profile: Supporting Women to Thrive Economically in Mesoamerica

All over the world, women are the backbone of local economies and agricultural work. In fact, nearly half of all agricultural workers globally are women.

Published on December 1, 2021

rainforest landscape - header
Project Profiles

Project Profile: Tackling Forced Labor and Child Labor in the Ghanaian Cocoa and Gold Mining Sectors

Amid Ghana’s tropical forests and lush hills, the cocoa and gold industries are booming. Ghana is the largest gold producer in Africa, and Ghana and Côte D'Ivoire account for over 60% of global cocoa production.

Published on November 23, 2021

Learn more about...


  • Child labor
  • Gender equality
  • Indigenous communities
  • Worker rights

For Business

Transform your business practices

For Supporters

Help us rebalance the planet

For Researchers

See how we measure our impacts

For Educators

Use our conservation curricula in your classroom

The Rainforest Alliance is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-3377893.

rainforest alliance spending

In 2022, 75% of our income supported sustainability programs. Learn More »

charity-watch
earth-share

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • YouTube

Subscribe

Sign up for business updates or general updates
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Financials
  • Certification Documents
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 1987 - 2023, Rainforest Alliance | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

Rainforest Match Active

Double your impact against deforestation.

Act now!

Give today
Habitats Matter.

Your gift helps protect vital forest habitats for wildlife.

Give today
People & Forests

Support nature’s guardians. Act now.

Give Support