81
Good Practice
Human Rights
Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
and control as well as an incentive and
sanction scheme. Moreover, it focuses
on: engaging local people and combin-
ing initiatives to improve education in
local governmental schools; increasing
awareness about working the fields prof-
itably without resorting to the use of
children; knowledge transfer concerning
sustainable crop production; vocational
training opportunities for children; as
well as communication strategies to raise
awareness of the problemamong parents.
Child labor virtually eliminated
A dedicated team within Bayer was
formed to put this comprehensive pro-
gram into practice, which has since
proven a great success. The latest fig-
ures from December 2012 show how
many people the program has reached
to date: In 2006, an average of around
0.6
children per acre were still being
employed on the fields of suppliers – a
figure that was, however, already well
below usual practice among Indian cot-
ton seed companies. In the 2012/2013
main season, only 21 isolated cases were
noted on the 3,898 acres in total man-
aged by suppliers. Sanctions were applied
against these immediately. The number
of children as a proportion of the total
workforce thus went down dramatically
to 0.03 percent.
Ultimately, the Bayer CropScience Child
Care Program can be described as a genu-
ine win-win situation for all involved.
Children now receive education instead
of having to work in the fields, giving
them a better start in life. Farmers ac-
quire a substantial volume of know-how
to improve their cultivation methods,
which has resulted in a better quality
of the seeds produced, among other
benefits. Last but not least, research has
shown that farmers’ earnings tend to be
higher because they can harvest more.
Bayer itself draws positive results from
the closer and more efficient collabora-
tion with the farmers. However, the
highest benefit lies in the fact that the
company helps combat child labor and
is thus living up to its own values and
the expectations of society and investors
–
in India and worldwide.
With this program, Bayer is the first
company to have achieved a lasting im-
pact in tackling child labor in India – a
commitment that was highlighted for
instance in the 9
th
Human Rights Report
of the German Federal Government. See-
ing the Child Care Program succeed was
a priority for Bayer CropScience, and the
Executive Committee has actively sup-
ported it as a core sustainability program.
We are convinced that, with such an
initiative, we can make a key contribu-
tion to eliminating child labor and at
the same time help improve the lives of
Indian cotton farmers and their children.
That is why we have extended the Bayer
CropScience Child Care Program to other
crop cultivation areas in India.
A package of
measures against
child labor
What are the details of the Bayer
CropScience Child Care Program?
The following measures have been
implemented so far:
1.
Contractual ban on child labor
2.
Regular visits to areas under
cultivation to check ages
3. “
Learning for Life” education
opportunities
4.
Raising awareness of the
problem
5.
Incentives for farmers