Action against Child Labor in Agriculture in West Africa
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The Problem
In the West Africa region, an estimated 23 percent of all children are in child labor. Of those children, over 80 percent live in rural areas and work in agriculture, primarily in family subsistence and smallholder agricultural production. The informal nature and geographic scope of agricultural production represent a significant challenge for effective action against child labor. Effectively combatting child labor in rural agricultural areas of West Africa requires the active engagement of regional and national organizations with the capacity to mobilize resources, engage communities and stakeholders, and implement effective social protection systems. Action is also needed to support occupational safety and health among agricultural producers and monitor and evaluate interventions for effectiveness. This project will address child labor through technical assistance to address these gaps. Supporting regional collaboration to scale up promising practices by national governments and communities is another means of addressing these challenges.
Our Strategy
The ACLAWA project aims to support the efforts of the Government of Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States in order to combat child labor. The project will conduct activities to achieve two outcomes:
- Increased capacity of ECOWAS to implement the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan to eliminate child labor.
- Increased mobilization of ECOWAS Member States to implement National Action Plans to eliminate child labor.
ACLAWA will support ECOWAS in mobilizing resources and conducting advocacy in support of its Regional Action Plan, which encompasses the development and operationalization of the ECOWAS Child Labor/Forced Labor Accountability Tool for monitoring and reporting RAP’s implementation. Additionally, ACLWA will support the broader adoption and utilization of the ECOWAS Peer Review mechanism to facilitate direct coordination between ECOWAS Member States, aligning child labor policies.
The ACLAWA project will also support the Government of Nigeria in improving the legislative, policy, and enforcement enabling environment for addressing child labor. It will support cocoa-producing communities in Ondo State in developing and implementing community action plans to address child labor in the production of cocoa.
Results
- Based on observed prevalence of child labor in the cocoa sector, the ACLAWA project identified ten communities in Ondo State, Nigeria, to begin community level project activities. The project supported establishment of 10 Community Child Labor Monitoring Committees (CAP/CCLMC) and supported the community-led development of Community Action Plans to address child labor. The project convened 114 CAP/CCLMC committee members and local and state-level officials for a workshop on child labor, its effects on children and families, and actions to improve coordination to address child labor, including improvement of child labor monitoring systems. Community level activities are being prepared now.
- ACLAWA provided technical support to assist the finalization and dissemination of the Nigeria National Child Labor Survey Report to improve data for policymakers and civil society.
- Grantee:
- International Labor Organization (ILO)
- Contact Information:
- (202) 693-4843 / Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
- Tags:
- Child Labor
- Agricultural Cocoa
- Economic Community of West African States
