VZCZCXYZ0807
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSN #0253 0602200
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 292200Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9114
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000253 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ES PGOV ELAB
SUBJECT: VISIT TO COFFEE FARM REVEALS CHILD LABOR 
 
 ¶1. (U) Summary: On January 11, LabOff and three USAID 
Officers visited Los Cedros, a Salvadoran coffee plantation 
located 20 minutes outside San Salvador.  The plantation has 
been certified for compliance with Rainforest Alliance's 
labor and environmental standards.  While working conditions 
for adults appeared to meet the basic standards, the 
plantation, though it is considered one of the most 
progressive in the area, continues to employ young children 
in unsafe working conditions. End Summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Los Cedros is a Salvadoran-owned coffee plantation 
located about 20 minutes from San Salvador.  During the year, 
the plantation employs 60-80 workers, approximately 30 
percent of whom are women.  From November to January, the 
harvest season, the farm employs about 350 additional 
seasonal workers.  During the harvest, each worker collects 
between seven and eight 25 pound bags of coffee per day.  The 
plantation owner provides workers with shelter, two meals per 
day, and facilities for bathing and washing clothes. 
According to the owner, many of the same workers return to 
Los Cedros each year. 
 
¶3. (U) During a visit in December 2006, USAID Officers noted 
that child labor appeared common at the plantation, and, 
through the Rainforest Alliance, corrective measures were 
initiated.  The January 11 visit was intended to evaluate the 
progress of those efforts.  However, child labor continues to 
be a problem at Los Cedros. 
 
¶4. (U) During the visit we observed numerous children, some 
who appeared to be as young as four, working alongside adults 
in the fields.  The owner explained that children were 
required to remain with their parents when working in the 
field, but that children over the age of 15 may work 
independently with the written permission of a parent.  There 
appeared to be no minimum age for children working in the 
fields.  (Note: Children under 15 are employed on an informal 
basis.  According to the owner, the beans harvested by 
children are counted as the parent,s harvest, and the parent 
receives the payment. End Note.) 
 
¶5. (U) The youngest children were seen collecting beans from 
coffee plants and sorting the beans for processing.  Older 
children were seen harvesting beans and carrying large, heavy 
bags from the field to be processed.  The owner said that 
children were prohibited from carrying bags weighing more 
than 20 percent of their body weight; however, children were 
seen carrying bags that obviously exceeded this amount. 
 
¶6. (U) As with many coffee plantations in El Salvador, Los 
Cedros is located on the side of a mountain; as a result, 
much of the harvesting takes place on steep, dangerous 
terrain.  The owner displayed a map which indicated which 
areas were off limits to all children due to the dangerous 
conditions.  These areas were also marked by signs (attached 
to trees about 12 feet from the ground) informing workers 
which areas are off limits to children.  However, we observed 
many children, some as young as five and six years old, 
working in these areas. 
 
¶7. (U) Comment: The owner of Los Cedros is considered to be 
one of the most progressive employers in the coffee sector 
located around San Salvador.  He participates in the 
Rainforest Alliance, and his interest in the well-being of 
his employees seems genuine.  According to reports from 
workers at other local plantations, Los Cedros provides far 
better facilities and support to workers than other nearby 
plantations.  However, Los Cedros clearly employs young 
children in dangerous working conditions and does little to 
enforce its own regulations, much less laws regulating child 
labor.  The GOES seems to have no presence at all. 
 
¶8. (U) Comment continued: The problem of child labor in El 
Salvador has a significant cultural component.  Adults, 
particularly in the rural areas, often believe that all 
family members should work regardless of age.  Child labor in 
El Salvador is also incredibly dangerous, and there seems to 
be little concern for children in these dangerous situations. 
 Young children can often be seen harvesting coffee on a 
steep hillsides or standing in busy, chaotic intersections 
selling trinkets.  End Comment. 
GLAZER