The next step in the fight against child labor: We have started producer awareness initiatives.

As Karimex Hazelnut Industry, we initiated the “Generations Fighting Against Child Labor Project” (ÇİMEN) in August 2024 to ensure the continuity of the education of seasonal agricultural workers’ children and to prevent these children from being employed as agricultural laborers. Through this comprehensive initiative, we took significant steps to address this issue.

In the second phase of our project, we focused on awareness-raising and informational activities for our producers regarding child labor and its prevention, aligned with our understanding of sustainable agriculture and social responsibility.

Within this scope, we organized various training programs for our contracted farmers practicing sustainable agriculture in the Yığılca district of Düzce. These training sessions, addressing women’s and children’s rights as well as the prevention of child labor in agriculture, were conducted by experienced agricultural engineers from our organic farming subsidiary, Azof. During the trainings, we highlighted how child labor affects not only children’s education but also societal development and the future of agricultural production. Farmers were also provided with information about the legal framework and practices for preventing child labor, as well as the importance of supporting women’s roles in agriculture.

Our first training session in Ömerli Village saw high participation, with awareness activities conducted under the themes of children’s rights and the prevention of child labor. Farmers had the opportunity to share their own experiences while exchanging knowledge on practical challenges and solutions in agriculture. Additionally, participants received detailed information not only on social responsibility topics but also on technical agricultural issues, such as combating the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.

At Karimex Hazelnut Enterprises, our primary goal is to pass on the abundance of hazelnuts to future generations in its entirety. In this direction, we prioritize not only product quality but also sustainability and social responsibility principles in production processes. Our efforts to prevent child labor are not just a social responsibility project but also a vital step toward the long-term success of the agricultural sector.

With the many social responsibility projects we have implemented to date, we continue our efforts to protect women, children, and the environment within production processes and to support the sustainable cultivation of hazelnuts.