Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean organized at the national and local levels to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labor. Representatives of various public institutions, employers 'and workers' organizations, NGOs and movements committed to ending child labor made their voices heard through different means to sensitize society regarding this reality that affects 12.5 million people. children and adolescents in the region and violates their fundamental rights.

Although June 12 is the World Day, countries carry out activities before, during and after to achieve a greater impact and reach of their message. As is the case of Guatemala, whose National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor carries out a campaign until July under the slogan "What I want to be when I grow up"; or in Argentina, where the Central de Trabajadores has started the campaign "Child labor and adolescent labor obstruct the right to education and generate poverty" and which will run until November in schools throughout most of the country.

Among the main activities are walks, training on rights, forums and talks with experts, interviews and press releases, competitions for schoolchildren and with universities, campaigns on social networks, among others.

Some countries, such as Haiti, have mobilized around the 2017 theme that calls for reflection on child labor in conflicts and disasters. Others have prioritized reflection on the importance of education to combat child labor, since they recognize that it is the key to separating children and adolescents from work and that it will have a positive impact on the future of their families.

For example, in Brazil, the “100 million for 100 million” campaign was launched, a global initiative promoted by the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kailash Satyarthi, coordinated by the National Campaign for the Right to Education, with the support of the Forum National Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor (FNPETI). The objective of this campaign is to mobilize 100 million people, especially young people, to be, together with actors from different sectors, the voice of 100 million children who live in extreme poverty, in a situation of child labor and under any form of exclusion. . 

In Costa Rica, during a commemorative act, the President of the Republic, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, reaffirmed the commitment to continue with the strengthening of actions in access to education and health to tackle child labor; and the Minister of Labor, noted the progress in the matter thanks to the inter-institutional work. On the other hand, the Network of Companies against Child Labor, with the support of Fundación Telefónica, presented a video to sensitize entrepreneurs and promote the permanence of minors in the educational system. To see the video, enter  here . 

Likewise, the Argentine Brickwork Union held a cultural event that also brought together representatives of the government, union and social leaders, as well as the International Labor Organization. 

As for Colombia, this year the main activity has been a public-private alliance between the Ministry of Labor and the Colombia Against Child Labor Network to share good practices from the business sector and design strategies that protect adolescent workers. You can see the video shared by the Network in the framework of the campaign,  here .

For their part, Mexico and Paraguay carried out, among other actions, a campaign on social networks and; Peru, a walk with artists to sensitize the population.

                                                                           

                                                                           

In Honduras, the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP) launched the National Strategy to Combat Child Labor and held a commemorative walk. 

In this way, the region renews its commitment to each child and adolescent victim of child labor and to those who are at risk of being so. The region has set itself the goal of achieving the first generation free of child labor and for this,  27 countries have been working together  to achieve Goal 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda, referring to ending child labor by 2025.

To be aware of the activities, the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean (IR) disseminated through social networks various activities and initiatives on June 12, promoted a campaign in Thunderclap to impact on social networks (Facebook and Twitter) which reached 422,157 people and developed a regional calendar for the World Day Against Child Labor. The calendar can be found by entering here:  http://bit.ly/2sxvSD0 .

We invite you to follow the IR social media to keep up to date with new activities, publications and videos on child labor in the framework of the World Day.

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