Value chain risk analysis

In many countries, children are forced to work in souvenir production, in factories, doing craftwork, diving for shells and pearls, or mining precious stones. Children are also often employed as souvenir sellers on local markets, beaches or on the streets as they are sometimes thought to be more effective sellers than adults.

To sell souvenirs, children often work long hours every day and do not have the opportunity to go to school. Children selling souvenirs have sometimes been trafficked and have to give their income to their traffickers. In some tourist destinations, there is also the risk of (trafficked) children being forced to beg. Being in constant contact with strangers, children selling souvenirs are particularly vulnerable to verbal, physical or sexual harassment and abuse.

In recent years, reports have revealed child labour in carpet production, gemstone mining, and factories producing souvenir garments and clothes. Children work under particularly harmful conditions and are sometimes forced to live apart from their families, being trafficked or sold to another place. They are deprived of their childhood and the possibility of going to school, and may be harmed in their physical and mental development.

In many tourist destinations, cheap, factory-made imitation products are imported, often from China and India, and put pressure on local crafts, leading to lower incomes for artisans and local souvenir vendors. By promoting locally made and traditional artisanal products, tour operators can support the local economy.

Cheaper products may also lead to price insecurity, as margins are more volatile, and undermine the production of locally made traditional crafts, resulting in a loss of traditional craftmanship. Furthermore, imported products may be sold as locally made, or fake products as real ones, for much higher prices.

Tour guides and taxi drivers often demand a commission from shops and souvenir vendors in order to bring tourists to their shops, resulting in a lower income for souvenir vendors. High commissions and price pressure force souvenir vendors to resort to cheaper goods of often lower quality, and to sell them for higher prices to be competitive. 

For many tourists, shopping for souvenirs is an important part of the travel experience. Tour operators and tourists often do not take bad working conditions in the production and sale of souvenirs into account.

Souvenirs such as clothes or other garments are often produced in factories and imported from other countries and regions, mostly China, India and South-East Asia. Bad working conditions, such as long working hours, very low wages, a lack of health and safety measures, a lack of time for recovery, or a lack of social security are common in such manufacturing plants, also called “sweatshops”.

Other souvenirs such as gemstones (jewellery) can come from mines with bad and sometimes slave-like working conditions. Mining work is particularly well-known for being strenuous and harmful. Many mines also lack health provisions, which may lead to long-term health problems for workers. Profits from mining in conflict regions can also help conflicting parties to finance themselves and thereby fuel conflicts.

Carpets are a popular souvenir to take home from India or Pakistan. There have been several reports of carpet factories being involved in human trafficking, slave labour, and child labour.

Souvenir sellers often work in the informal sector, without a regular income and are often not attached to a social security or pensions system.

For more information on child labour in souvenir production and sales, see the risk card on Shopping and Children’s rights.