Senderos: Sembrando Derechos, Cosechando Mejores Futuros
Print
Senderos — works with government, the private sector, and civil society to improve adherence to international standards on child labor, forced labor, occupational safety and health, and other acceptable conditions of work in the agriculture sectors in Jalisco and Nayarit. The project is building government capacity to enforce labor laws in agricultural supply chains, improving private sector awareness and compliance with labor laws, and increasing farmworkers’ knowledge of labor rights and grievances mechanisms.
The Problem
Child labor is prevalent in Mexico’s agricultural sector, and children often perform dangerous agricultural tasks. Agricultural workers, many of whom are migrant workers, are regularly exposed to abuse such as discrimination, sexual harassment, labor exploitation, unsafe and precarious conditions of work, and physical violence. They often face labor rights violations such as salary withholding, restriction of movement, and occupational safety and health infractions. Existing labor law is inconsistently applied in these cases and infrequently protects farmworkers in Mexico.
Our Strategy
Since 2009, ILAB has supported efforts in Mexico to address child labor and improve acceptable conditions of work in agriculture. Senderos builds off this experience working in agricultural communities across different sectors. In the states of Jalisco and Nayarit, where sugarcane and tobacco are produced, Senderos provides stakeholders with tools to address labor violations in the agriculture sector.
To foster positive change for workers, the project engages different actors such as government agencies, employers, and workers to deploy tools to monitor and enforce laws related to child labor, occupational safety and health, and unacceptable conditions of work in the agricultural sector. The project focuses particularly on the employers to increase their due diligence and facilitate access to reporting and remediation services and mechanisms for workers to remedy unacceptable conditions of work.
The project also raises farmworkers’ awareness of their rights under the law through worker-to-worker education, facilitation of health and safety committees, and worker self-advocacy groups.
Results
- The project has provided key support drafting Mexico’s national Protocol for Inspections to Prevent and Eradicate Child Labor and Protect Adolescents of Legal Age to Work. The Protocol provides inspectors with pragmatic, clear processes and steps to inspect and remedy child labor cases country-wide.
- The project has trained over 3,500 agriculture workers and private sector stakeholders on key labor rights, reporting, and remedy processes, including child labor, safety and health risks, and forced labor.
- The project has developed offline, comprehensive inspection software for inspectors to use while in agriculture fields.
- The project has reached over 35,000 farm workers and other stakeholders with information campaigns on labor rights in Mexico.
- Grantee:
- Verité
- Implementing Partners:
- Fundación Mexicana de Apoyo Infantil., A.C., (FAI), IMPAQ, World Vision
- Contact Information:
- GlobalKids@ILAB.dol.gov / Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT)
- Tags:
- Child Labor
- Acceptable Conditions of Work
- Agriculture
- Child Labor
- Enforcement
- Forced Labor
- Labor Law
- Labor Rights
- Mexico
- Occupational Safety & Health
- Private Sector
- Remediation
- Sugar Cane
- Supply Chains
- Tobacco
