Complexities surrounding “Child Labour” and the presence of children in oil palm plantations: reflections on challenges, root causes, and contributing factors

Child labour is an ongoing issue in the palm oil industry, especially in oil palm plantations. However, child labour is a complex and contentious topic that should not be considered separately from other human rights and children’s rights issues. In this Practice Review paper, we apply a child rights lens to consider how the rights of children are addressed in the Indonesian oil palm industry. We consider child labour from plantation company, smallholder and community perspectives, highlighting the root causes and factors that contribute to the persistence of child labour and the presence of children on plantations. Poverty is the primary cause of child labour, and children may have legitimate reasons to be in a plantation. While plantation companies have taken various measures to address child labour, these actions raise other concerns that also need to be considered. To ensure that all human rights, including the rights of children, are respected throughout the palm oil supply chain, a more holistic understanding of children’s rights is needed, as well as greater adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Children’s Rights and Business Principles. Comprehending the reality of rural life, especially where villages are totally surrounded by plantations, is also essential. We suggest the wellbeing of children living near plantations would be enhanced by companies paying a living wage, implementing better working conditions, and providing afterschool care, rather than by increased surveillance and stricter enforcement of rules and security, which risk further victimising people in poverty.