Project Title |
Combating Exploitive Child Labor Through Education in Colombia |
Region/Country |
THE AMERICAS/Colombia |
Project Duration |
September 30, 2004 – December 31, 2008 |
Fiscal Year & Funding Level |
FY 2004: USD 3,500,000
Matching: USD 355,911 |
Problem to be Addressed |
According to a study done by Colombia’s Department of Statistics and ILO-IPEC, 14.5% of children in Colombia were working in 2001. Children work in sectors such as agriculture, commerce, domestic service, mining and construction, often under exploitive conditions. Children are also involved in the Worst Forms of Child Labor, such as child soldiers, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and illicit drug trade.
There are a number of barriers in Colombia that prevent these child laborers from attending school, including the hidden costs of education, parental attitudes, repetition rates, long distances between homes and schools, the low quality of education and the importance of the child’s economic contribution to the family. |
Results |
This project withdrew 1,521 and prevented 4,996 children from hazardous agriculture and other forms of labor in the municipalities of Funza and Madrid. |
Project Objectives |
Development Objective:
To reduce and prevent child labor in the Savannah of Bogotá, Colombia.
Immediate Objectives:
- Raise awareness among parents, governmental institutions, and local leaders regarding the importance of education for working and at-risk children;
- Implement appropriate formal and informal pilot education programs for working and at-risk children;
- Parents support children in their formal and informal education, and take action to prevent child labor;
- Local institutions and community organizations develop and support projects to prevent and reduce child labor; and
- Revise and implement public policies associated with child labor in rural areas.
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Summary of Activities |
- Conducted and disseminated a study on child labor in the areas of Funza and Madrid;
- Designed and provided formal and non-formal educational programs for working and at-risk children in the municipalities of Funza and Madrid;
- Sensitized parents regarding out-of-school youths;
- Provided skills training for parents of working and at-risk children;
- Trained school administrators, municipal officials, private sector employers and national officials regarding child labor and education issues; and
- Disseminated project information and proposed modifications of education policies through meetings and workshops with governmental and non-governmental organizations.
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GRANTEE |
World Vision |
ImplemeNTING Partners |
International Center for Education and Human Development (CINDE); Los Andes University; National University of Colombia; Fundación Volvamos a la Gente; and Municipalities of Funza and Madrid, Cundinamarca. |
Contact Information |
Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
(202) 693-4841 |
