Project Title |
Preparatory activities for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor in the Dominican Republic |
Region/Country |
THE AMERICAS/Dominican Republic |
Project Duration |
September 2001– July 2006 |
Fiscal Year & Funding Level |
FY 2001: USD 1,306,243 |
Problem Addressed |
According to data from the National Survey on Child Labor, there are approximately 428,720 working children in the Dominican Republic between the ages of 5 and 17 years. The main occupations for working children are as sales persons (including street vendors), servants (including domestic workers), agricultural workers, and shoe-shiners. In addition, gender inequity has been a factor in the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. |
Results |
This project withdrew 2,079 children and prevented 1,330 children from the worst forms of child labor. The project focused particularly on hazardous agriculture in Constanza and commercial sexual exploitation in Boca Chica. |
Project Objectives |
Development Objective:
To contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labor in the Dominican Republic.
Immediate Objectives:
- At the end of the project, there will be a greater understanding of the worst forms of child labor in the country and a greater institutional capacity to address them;
- At the end of the project, the capacity of relevant organizations will have been strengthened (including awareness raising) to develop initiatives to address the worst forms of child labor;
- At the end of the project, a National Strategic Plan, including TBP, will have been put in place to eliminate the worst forms of child labor;
- At the end of the project, the worst forms of child labor will have been eliminated in Constanza through withdrawal, rehabilitation and prevention measures;
- At the end of the CSE project, the capacity and increased commitment to prevent and eliminate CSE by public and private sector institutions will have been strengthened; and
- At the end of the project, a community-based child labor monitoring system will have been created and pilot tested in Constanza in preparation for use in other areas of the country.
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Summary of Activities
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- Developed a map of the worst forms of child labor and an NGO registry;
- Published a study regarding existing programs in the country and possibilities for these programs to contribute to the Timebound Program;
- Prepared a study regarding recommended legal reforms;
- Carried out an awareness-raising campaign;
- Formed a sub-commission to support the development of the Timebound Program;
- Trained NGOs, trade unions and public officials regarding child labor;
- Published a National Strategic Plan to eliminate the worst forms of child labor;
- Established a Child Labor Attention Unit within the Secretariat of Labor;
- Designed and implemented a model for the prevention and withdrawal of children from commercial sexual exploitation;
- Created a model for a community-based child labor monitoring system;
- Provided targeted children with education, health, and rehabilitation services, and assisted a segment of their families with training and/or income generating alternatives;
- Signed an agreement with agricultural sector representatives regarding the elimination and prevention of child labor; and
- Strengthened the national-level system for the protection of children and adolescents.
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| Major accomplishments |
- Produced synthesis reports on child labor in informal urban work and agriculture;
- Completed mapping of the worst forms of chills labor; and
- Completed and published National Strategic Plan for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (2006-2016) with approval of competent national authorities.
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| Grantee |
International Labor Organization’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO/IPEC) |
Implementing partners
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Socio-cultural Action Center (CASCO); Action for Basic Education (EDUCA); IDEFA; The Vega Real Cooperative; Ministries of Labor, Education, and Health; Local Governments; Workers’ Unions; Employers’ Organizations; Child Protection Councils; NGOs and Community-Based Organizations; UNICEF; BID; World Bank. |
Contact Information
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Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
(202) 693-4843 |
