We have helped establish the Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco Growing (ECLT) Foundation, and aim to be an active and constructive founding member. We are committed to the principles of protecting children from child labor exploitation, believing their development - as well as that of their communities and countries - is best served through education, not child labor. We do not employ children in our operations.

Child labor can mean many things, although it is generally described as the exploitation of children in the workplace. It has become one of the most important emerging issues in recent times. Current estimates indicate that some 250 million children worldwide under the age of 17 are engaged in some form of exploitative child labor.

In 1990, the United Nations achieved a human rights milestone with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 1996, child labor was addressed at the International Labor Organization (ILO) conference, where a resolution was adopted on the elimination of exploitative practices.

In tobacco farming, particularly in developing countries, there is a recognized child labor problem. As the only international tobacco Group with a significant interest in tobacco leaf growing, we are committed to our obligation to conduct our businesses responsibly in the communities where we operate, and we are working with others to address the issues around child labor.

Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco Growing (ECLT) Foundation
In 2001, British American Tobacco helped to establish the Eliminating Child Labor in Tobacco Growing Foundation, following an awareness-raising campaign which we had begun a year previously, together with the International Tobacco Growers' Association (ITGA) and the trades unions in our sector, the IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations). The IUF, ITGA and British American Tobacco are the founding members of the Foundation.

The initiative began in October 2000 in Nairobi , Kenya , at an international conference hosted by British American Tobacco and attended by farmers, trades unionists, NGOs, government officials, the media and manufacturers from three continents.

In the last few years, the Foundation has supported several projects and research initiatives to tackle child labor. During 2004 the Foundation made good progress in all its 8 projects. 4 projects were also run directly by British American Tobacco Group companies in Brazil , Fiji , Mexico and Pakistan.

The Foundation is based in Geneva under its Director, Marc Hofstetter, a former senior Red Cross executive, with the mission to: “Contribute to the elimination of the use of child labor in the tobacco growing sector and to provide children with an upbringing that gives them the best chance to succeed in all aspects of life.”

In addition to British American Tobacco, members now include Altadis, Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco, Scandinavian Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Gallagher Group, and the world's leading tobacco dealers Universal Leaf Tobacco Co., Standard Commercial Corporation, and DIMON Incorporated.

The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN's specialized agency on labor standards, participates as a technical adviser to the Foundation's Board.

The Foundation intends to achieve its mission by:

• Developing a long-term strategy and program to combat child labor;
• Helping tobacco farmers to achieve best practice in both agricultural production and in internationally recognized employment standards and workers' rights;
• Raising research-based awareness of the reasons why child labor occurs;

Working with all relevant stakeholders to eliminate child labor in tobacco growing and sponsor by; British Tobacco Company & Aladis Group International.

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