The International Center on Child
Labor, Washington, D.C. North American
Secretariat of the Global March
and the American Federation of Teachers
organized a soccer match between
the children from the DC Schools
and child laborers coming from India,
Chile, Nicaragua, Liberia, South
Africa and Brazil. The former child
laborers played on teams that included
students from Washington, D.C.'s,
Bell Multicultural and Cardozo senior
high schools. Professional players
Marco Etcheverry and Craig Ziadie
from the D.C. United and Ann Cook
from the Washington Freedom served
as the game's coaches and referee,
expressing solidarity and support
for the child laborers. Read
More...
Relating with the partner organizations
in 140 countries, the focus in the first phase will be on
15 countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Relating with the trade unions and international networks
such as the Global Campaign for Education, Rug Mark International,
Germany, International Cocoa Foundation Switzerland, International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions, FNV, AFLCIO, Education
International, House and Senate offices, Congressional Caucauses.
To build large database of the immigrant communities from
15 countries in the US that has political and financial
clout. The database will specifically target the professional
bodies/associations of the immigrants, trade associations,
business associations, socio-cultural organizations, religious
associations and foundations, print and the electronic media
and other petty businesses.
To document the policy and actions of the US government
to the country of their origin, particularly on development
financing and supporting initiatives on education and rehabilitation
efforts of children in slavery and out of school.
To critically observe the role of the international financial
institutions particularly in relation to the development
financing on education and rehabilitation of child labor.
It will monitor the development financing policies of the
G-8 governments on child labor issues and universal free
quality primary education.
To act as a watch dog for the partners of ICCLE/Global
March Against Child Labor whenever they are being persecuted
or prosecuted by the national governments and there is violation
of human rights. This will provide an enabling environment
to our partners.
To open negotiations and consultations with the importers,
exporters and provincial and national governments for establishing
collaborative certification mechanisms for child labor free
products that are transparent, independent and credible.
To undertake the southern strengthening of the movement
by organizing cross learning, critical reflection to facilitate
deepening of the knowledge on the good practices adopted
by the national governments and the grassroots initiatives.
To facilitate exposure of the governments both at the
federal level, provincial level, the members of the executive/bureaucracy,
NGOs and trade unions, to come across the best possible
success stories on rehabilitation and education. This will
help in building an enabling environment and at the same
time lay the foundation for industry-trade union - NGOs,
political leadership and the executive to relate and understand
better. This will lay the foundation for the better realization
of implementation on the ILO Convention 182 on Worst Forms
of Child Labor.
To undertake grassroots documentation and photo documentation
of the faces of poverty and the inter-linkages on the poverty,
child slavery and education. The documentation is initiated
in tandem to the good practices study taken up in four countries
and will be expanded to all the fifteen countries.
The manner, in which we perceive that the immigrant communities
can relate with and support us, is very important.
The immigrant communities have to be the strategic partner
and stakeholder in the realization of our objectives.
The immigrant community organizations will act as an interface
and be catalysts of our message to the larger community.
The immigrant community print and electronic media can
disseminate the issues affecting the children, education,
child slavery and help in creating awareness and knowledge,
so that people are better informed. It is with this objective
that a forum of ethnic media will be organized around Washington,
D.C and New York. This will be the best method to invoke
the ownership and stake holding of the media in development
process.
The information from the grassroots and alternatives in
development will be brought forward from the network of
our partners and constituents in the poor world.
These can be anything from reporting about the policies
of the national governments or the multilateral banks, businesses
that are affecting negatively or positively on the ground.
It will help us to build international support and strengthen
solidarity from the coverage of the issues in the ethnic
media.
It can help us bring the grassroots documentation of the
positive efforts of the social action movement and the difference
it has brought in the life of the children.
It can also help in bringing these success stories to
the knowledge of the world media, so that there is possibility
of wider replication and opportunity of cross learning.
It will also bring forward to the communities the positive
work of the NGOs with the poor in remote parts of the country.
The community organizations can help us in the petitioning
of the important and ranking members of the House and Senate
when it comes to intervening in the policy domain of the
federal government or in the legislative process.
The immigrant communities can sign on letters to the members
of the political class particularly with the objective that
it provides access for our lobby work and helps better position
ourselves in the policy domain of Washington, D.C.
Immigrant communities will have the ability to link up
with the positive development efforts being undertaken by
the groups in the country of their origin, through the partners
of ICCLE/Global March. These groups are involved in providing
education and rehabilitation to the victims of child slavery,
after they have been released from their bondage. Many of
these efforts are outstanding in terms of the effectiveness
of the development aid and provide unique partnership opportunity
for the communities.
Immigrant communities can support us in our fund raising
for meeting our operational cost partially so that we are
not indebted to the federal grants, projects or foreign
donors as in the present situation.
