The Secretariat of Labor of the State of Chiapas, with the support of the International Labor Organization and the Regional Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor, held the workshop "Putting an end to child labor: innovating in the local response to achieve the target 8.7 ”.

The objective of this event was to strengthen local capacities to accelerate the reduction of child labor in Mexico with public policies that reinforce social protection and education systems.

The workshop took place within the framework of the MIRTI implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean, in which Mexico stands out as the first country in the region to implement Phase I and II of the Model. In Phase I, Mexico identified the territories with the highest probability of child labor in its 32 states and the level of risk was determined by municipality.

After the presentation of the results and under the project “Promotion of an Inclusive and Sustainable Recovery of the Post-Earthquake Local Economy in the state of Chiapas, Mexico”, the State of Chiapas, which was joined by the municipality of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, organizations of employers and workers, decided to continue with Phase II of the Model.

This phase consists of the identification, design or adjustment of multisectoral interventions at the local level to strengthen preventive and protective services against child labor and, thus, reduce the risk of exposure of children and adolescents.

The event was attended by federal representatives from the States of Mexico, Jalisco and Oaxaca, key actors from the Government of the State of Chiapas and representatives from six Chiapas municipalities: Ocosingo, Rayón, Comitán, Berriozábal, Villa Comaltitlán and Tapachula. Likewise, representatives of the municipality of Vila Victoria, located in the State of Mexico, a territory where the implementation of Phase II of the MIRTI is beginning, participated.

At the inauguration, Alejandro Encinas Nájera, Head of the Labor Policy and Institutional Relations Unit of the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS), pointed out that with the sum of local efforts, global changes will be achieved, and highlighted the process of dialogue and articulation that exists in Chiapas as an example of the fulfillment of global commitments from the local level.

For his part, Carlos Orsoe Morales Vázquez, Municipal President of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, argued that municipalities should contribute to State policies on the prevention and eradication of child labor and that, in that sense, the workshop was important to strengthen cohesion of many actors with competence in the subject.

During the workshop, presentations were held that addressed topics such as: i) the relationship between the risk of child labor and emergencies and natural disasters, ii) the role of municipalities, states and the federal STPS to accelerate and intensify the actions for the prevention and eradication of child labor through the strengthening of institutional coordination, and iii) exchange mechanisms between Chiapas municipalities that promote local strategies on the prevention and eradication of child labor.

Working groups were also held to agree on the relevance of generating and managing systematized and quality information to implement, monitor and evaluate local public policies and, on the other hand, identify key elements to develop a municipal policy for the prevention and eradication of child labor.

As part of the results of the workshop, it was possible to identify mechanisms to create alliances and support networks among the attending municipalities to promote the escalation of Phase II of the MIRTI in this and other states. In addition, coordination between the state authorities of Chiapas was strengthened to accelerate the eradication of child labor.

Relive the workshop exhibits here:

Session "The Child Labor Risk Identification Model: application in Mexico"

Session "The prevention of child labor in situations of crisis and fragility"

Photo gallery here .