Empowering stakeholders to fight child and forced labour in cotton-producing areas

Collaboration with the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan and development of due diligence guidelines for companies

The Employers’ Federation of Pakistan developed due diligence guidelines for its members. Management and workers were trained on the due diligence guidelines and made aware of company policies to identify and mitigate the risk of child labour.

The project implemented a successful partnership with the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) to build the capacity of its members in the ginning and spinning sector. Child labour is difficult to tackle because of a myriad of factors (seasonality of production, migration, lack of technology, workplace hazards, limited access to schools, weak labour inspection and enforcement in rural areas, and ingrained attitudes about the roles of children) but when the capacity of key stakeholders are built, progress becomes even more certain. 

To build the capacity of its members, the EFP conducted a rapid assessment of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW) and working conditions in the sector. This assessment served as the basis to develop training materials and inform the development of a sectoral strategy for the industry to reach out to “off-the-radar” production units, train them on labour rights and related obligations, and promote the respect of FPRW. Afterwards, the EFP developed and rolled out a training program on child labour in Sindh and Punjab reaching over 600 actors in the ginning and spinning value chain.

“This is the first time that EFP has intervened in the informal ginning and spinning sector in Pakistan. We started with comprehensive research on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work with a focus on child labour. This research was then translated into a dedicated capacity building program which reached 604 stakeholders, 164 women and 440 men.”

Mr Syed Nazar Ali, Secretary General, EFP

In addition, in line with the ILO-IOE Child Labour Guidance Tool for Business, the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework, and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains, EFP developed “Due Diligence Mechanism Guidelines” which were piloted by two companies and then extended to 10 more in Sindh and Punjab. 

The EFP tailored the guidelines to the two initial companies and also included identifying high-risk areas in the company’s production process in order to devise effective child labour prevention and mitigation measures. Building upon this success, the CLEAR Cotton project supported the EFP to develop a due diligence toolkit for its members.

Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, Arts and Media (SCREAM)

Young people can be drivers of change and the SCREAM programme aims to equip them and amplify their voices. The SCREAM programme promotes awareness amongst young people about children’s rights with a focus on child labour so they in turn can speak out and mobilise their communities to act. Ultimately, SCREAM seeks to change social attitudes to promote a culture of respect for children’s rights and to strengthen the worldwide movement against child labour.

To achieve these goals, SCREAM is delivered by educators using an education pack consisting of 14 modules based on arts (drama, creative writing, music and the visual arts) and media. This pack is complemented by special modules on specific topics (agriculture, armed conflicts, HIV/AIDS). Through the arts, young people are empowered to convey their message to the wider community. SCREAM also seeks to channel the creative energies of children and youth in positive and constructive ways, further encouraging peer learning. 

In Pakistan and Mali, SCREAM Training of Trainers was organized to provide ILO constituents and key partners with the knowledge and skills needed to implement the SCREAM methodology with children and youth, with a focus on eliminating child labour in agriculture. 

In Pakistan, in partnership with the Sindh Agricultural Forestry Workers and Coordinating Organization (SAFWCO), SCREAM activities with a focus on agriculture took place in 10 schools in Sindh.

“I now have understood the power and purpose of ‘drawings’ and ‘paint’ as they help me to convey my liking and disliking.”

Trained student in Sanghar, Pakistan

Around 350 students were informed about the dangers of child labour and empowered to raise awareness in their communities through competitions and around 2400 students, teachers and community members were sensitised. 

Reviving Regional Committees for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour in Peru

In Peru, the National Steering Committee for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour (Comité Directivo Nacional para la Prévencion y Erradicacion del Trabajo Infantil, CPETI), presided over by the Ministry of Labour, is a multi-sectoral coordination body bringing together social partners and other key actors in the fight against child labour. 

At the regional level, Regional Steering Committees for the Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour (Comité Directivo Regional Para la Prevencion y Erradicacion del Trabajo Infantil, CDRPETI), one for each of the 25 regional governments, coordinated the necessary actions. 

Through a partnership with the NGO DyA (Centro de Desarrollo y Autogestion), in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and the ILO project Cotton with Decent Work, the following results were achieved: 

1. 50 Regional Committee members trained from the 25 regions; 
2. Reactivation of 10 Regional Committees; 
3. Adoption of action plans by 5 Regional Committees; 
4. Sessions to exchange good practices, gathering 485 representatives of the National Committee, Regional Committees (at least one per region), labour inspectors, agricultural unions and associations, trade unions and civil society representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru; 
5. Development and roll-out of a virtual course on “Child labour and social dialogue, with an emphasis on child labour in agriculture.” This course, which ran from November 2022 – February 2023, built the capacity of the Regional Committees and other stakeholders to effectively design, coordinate, implement and monitor actions to prevent and eradicate child labour. The course had two levels, an introductory level with 5 modules and an advanced level with 4 modules. Representatives from the Regional Steering Committee, Regional Labour Directorates, labour inspectors, workers’ organizations and civil society participated in the course. 
6. Production of two videos to help Regional Committees raise awareness on child labour, see here and here.

Training Cooperative Producers in Mali

In Mali, the CLEAR Cotton project collaborated with the Malian Company for the Development of Textiles (Compagnie Malienne pour le Développement du Textile, CMDT) and the Confederation of Cooperative Societies of Cotton Producers (Confédération des Sociétés Coopératives des Producteurs de Coton, C-SCPC) to train cooperative producers. 

The training was mainly aimed at equipping trainers with knowledge and skills on cooperative entrepreneurship and the role of cooperatives in the fight against child labour. By building the capacities of field trainers, they are able to raise awareness about child labour among management, staff and members of agricultural cooperatives. Also, the training served to guide them through the development and implementation of a set of actions that will contribute to the elimination of child labour within the cooperative’s and members’ operations as well as in their communities.

“ILO support has helped raise awareness of child labour within cooperatives, thanks to the insertion of provisions in the statues and regulations of cooperatives in this regard, their translation into the Bamanan language for better accessibility, the training of women in leadership and on the fight against child labour, as well as of agents of support structures.”

Mr Samuel Zonou, Technical Advisor to the Regional Federation of Cotton Producers’ Cooperatives, Sikassa, Mali

A training module on the fight against child labour in the cotton sector was adopted and mainstreamed into CMDT and C-SCPC training programs. 80 trainers and agricultural actors from CMDT and C-SCPC were trained, kicking off the training of trainers for national cooperative support institutions operating in the cotton and mining sectors. 120 women from the two subsidiaries of CMDT were trained on the worst forms of child labour and on leadership, in view of achieving equality between men and women in cooperatives in the fight against child labour. CMDT and C-SCPC developed a roadmap for reinforcing cooperatives in the cotton sector.

Training social partners in Burkina Faso

The fundamental principles and rights at work (elimination of child labour and forced labour, non-discrimination in employment, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining) are interconnected. One can only be reached if the others are duly implemented too. It is only by involving social partners and promoting social dialogue, that we can fully achieve a value chain free of child labour and forced labour.

“The CLEAR Cotton project is engrained in the national strategy of the fight against child labour. To fight child labour, stakeholders are allowed to come up with their own appropriate strategies to deal with the issue. This is considered a vital result of the project.”

Gregoire Yameogo, ILO Coordinator of the CLEAR Cotton project in Burkina Faso

In Burkina Faso, training manuals were developed to build the capacity of employers’ and workers’ organizations in the fight against child labour and forced labour. Using these tools, and adopting a “training of trainers” approach, the project supported the creation of a pool of trainers within employers’ organizations and trade unions. 

Decentralized training sessions were organized in the regions with the trainers’ support. Part of their success lies in the mobilization of social partners. They conducted field visits to directly reach out not only to members but also to interested workers and community leaders at all levels of the value chain (from local producers to national companies). Despite the low level of unionization and the limited presence of employers’ organizations in the lower tier of cotton production – partly explained by the prevailing informality – they were able to bring new audiences to the training and raise interest in the important role of trade unions and employer’s organisations. 

Despite the low level of unionization and the limited presence of employers’ organisations in the lower tier of cotton production – partly explained by the prevailing informality- they were able to bring new audiences to the trainings and raise interest about the important role of trade unions and employer’s organisations.