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Technical Cooperation Project Summary

Project Title

Prevention and progressive elimination of child labor in agriculture in Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic (Phase II)

Region/Country

CARIBBEAN/ Dominican Republic; CENTRAL AMERICA/Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama

Project Duration

September 30, 2003 – June 30, 2006

Fiscal Year & Funding Level

FY 2003: USD 3,000,174

Problem to be Addressed

The countries targeted under this project have economies that are predominantly based in agriculture, which provides employment and income to a large portion of the Central American population. Child labor in commercial agriculture is a widespread phenomenon in the region. More than half of the approximately 2.5 million working children in the region are found working in the agricultural sector.

Results

The project withdrew 2,309 children and prevented 2,693 children from work in hazardous agriculture in target regions (Turrialba, Costa Rica; San Jose de Ocóa and Azua, Dominican Republic; San Marcos, Guatemala; and Chontales, Nicaragua) with the provision of non-formal or basic literacy; vocational, pre-vocational or skills training; and referrals to the formal education system.

Project Objectives

Development Objective:
To contribute to the prevention and elimination of hazardous child labor in agriculture in Central America and the Dominican Republic.

Immediate Objectives:

  • Mobilize key actors and society, in general, to act against hazardous child labor in agriculture;
  • Strengthen enforcement mechanisms of relevant laws and regulations; and
  • Withdraw and prevent children working and children at risk of working from hazardous child labor in agriculture, and reintegrate children into the educational sector in selected areas and sectors.

Summary of Activities
  • Raised awareness within society and trained members of national and regional institutions on hazardous child labor in agriculture and on measures to improve the identification and management of occupational safety and health risks in agriculture;
  • Published and disseminated models for withdrawal and prevention of hazardous child labor in agriculture;
  • Elaborated proposals to improve national laws and regulations;
  • Trained labor inspectors on laws pertaining to child labor and agriculture;
  • Created Child Labor Monitoring Systems (CLMS) and made systems functional in rural areas;
  • Introduced the use of certification systems in the agricultural sector to producers;
  • Improved quality of and access to education for rural children and adolescents, and made parents and communities aware of the importance of education; and
  • Increased family income.

Grantee

International Labor Organization’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC)

Implementing Partners

Ministries of Labor, Agriculture and Education and their regional branches and local governments, including:

Costa Rica: Fundación Acción Solidaria – ACSOL

Dominican Republic: Grupo Ambiental Habitat; and the Instituto de Desarrollo y Salud Integral – INDESUI

Dominican Republic: Asociación para el Desarrollo de San José de Ocoa – ADESJO

Guatemala: Fundación para el Desarrollo Rural – FUNRURAL; and La Pastoral Social.

Nicaragua: Unión Nacional de Agricultores y Ganaderos – UNAG; the Caja Rural; and the Diocesis of Juigalpa.

Contact Information

Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)

(202) 693-4843