News service reports quote a statement from representatives of the banana industry in Ecuador, the world's largest banana exporter, saying that 70 per cent of the country's banana crop is produced by family units and therefore labour abuse and sexual harassment issues are not applicable.
However, according to the report, Shady Crop: Child labour and obstacles in Organising Ecuador's Banana Plantations, children as young as eight work on plantations and are exposed to hazardous chemicals during crop spraying as well as using machetes and carrying heavy loads. Some were even reportedly sexually harassed.
The report's authors spoke to 45 child labourers, most of who worked 12-hour days, they claimed. They also found more than 60 per cent had left school before they turned 14.
The report also revealed that the use of sub-contractors to hire labour meant that many adult workers found themselves effectively without the necessary bargaining power to negotiate improved working conditions on banana plantations.
The statement, reportedly signed by seven banana associations, branded the report malicious and suggested its intention was to do harm to the name and quality of Ecuadorian banana exports.
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