Child Labor in Brazil Brazil's experience in eradicating child labor is unique. In the eighties, a strong movement to make the legislation concerning children and adolescents more protective focused on concern for children living on the streets of large cities. It was believed that it was better for them to be working than out committing crimes or taking drugs. In the nineties, some social movements began to challenge this thinking, recognizing the radical difference between the ways wealthy children were treated and the proposed ‘solution’ for the children of the poor. View Full Report Hisua: The First Child Labor Free Block in India The Hisua block of Nawada district in Bihar, India, was declared 'Child Labor Free' on 17th December 2002. It was the first such instance in India. Within a span of a 100 days, all the child laborers of the block were removed from work and admitted to formal schools. This unique experiment; called the 'Happy Hisua' campaign was carried out jointly with the active participation of the district administration and the civil society organizations. Read Full Article Download the full report [ MS Word Format - 89 KB ] [ PDF Format, v5.0- 58 KB ] Download PDF Reader

Documentation on the good practices related to child labor release, rehabilitation and provision of education by grass roots NGOs is limited. Most information available to date documents national or local government rehabilitation strategies, including non-formal education.

The International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE) is undertaking a comprehensive and analytical study to document selected good practices in combating child labor showing various strategies, especially including free, compulsory, quality basic education and the innovative efforts of grassroots organizations in the South.

This documentation analyses and assesses innovative NGO/ civil society programs, emphasizing grassroots initiatives that

1. address child labor from a broad socio-economic perspective,
2. focus on any trauma (psychological or physical) suffered by the children,
3. provide access to appropriate quality education, including vocational training,
4. include families and / or community members in the process, and are cost effective
5. the goal is to widely disseminate information about outstanding grass roots efforts in order to both gain support for such programs, and share model / replicable experiences with grass-roots programs in other jurisdictions.

Use of Documentation

The final product, a report on innovative grass-roots child labor programs in selected southern countries, is being prepared for wider dissemination and education. The report will give creative ideas on successful approaches as well as positive feelings and inspiration to various interest groups. This will offer learning opportunity for multi-lateral and bilateral development organizations in order to provide with examples of good practices and effective grass roots strategies for eliminating the worst forms of child labor.

The documentation will offer national and provincial governments, approaches and strategies to assist them in program planning by demonstrating successful and cost effective strategies for addressing child slavery in a socio-economic context, and in creating holistic rehabilitation programs for children in the victim of worst forms of child labor.

It will offer to the Southern grass roots NGOs opportunity for learning and deepening their knowledge and will help in capacity building / program planning. It will also be useful in generating cross-learning and exposure on good practices through discussions on choice and use of the different strategies. Immigrant communities in the United States will be able to better educate themselves about child labor rehabilitation programs in the countries of their origin. This documentation will also demonstrate the effectiveness of development financing.

This documentation in India is first in the series undertaken by ICCLE under the support of the DOL-ILO-IPEC. The other case studies are undertaken in Albania, Brazil, Kenya and Philippines in the first phase. Further case studies will be featured in this website continuously for providing visibility to grass roots efforts.

The East Africa Plantation Pilot Project The AFL-CIO Solidarity Center’s East Africa Plantation Pilot Project, trains local and national union members, as well as parents, teachers, employers and others, in the hazards of child labor and the importance of education. Working through the union structure, the project identifies children working on coffee, tea and sisal plantations, and helps them to return to school and continue their education. [ Read Full Article ] Download the full report [ MS Word Format - 136 KB ] [ PDF Format, v5.0 - 104 KB ] Download PDF Reader

Bal Ashram (Rehabilitation Center for Boys) The Ashram, a unique experiment in the emancipation and holistic development of the victims of child servitude, is run by the South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS), a Delhi-based network of NGOs and a pioneering Indian civil society initiative. The Ashram is supported by organizations such as the Ontario Federation of Labor and the Canadian Auto Workers. [ Read Full Article ] Download the full report [ MS Word Format - 159 KB ] [ PDF Format, v5.0 - 81 KB ] Download PDF Reader