Due Diligence training to eliminate child labour in Uganda
Through the training, participants were able to reflect on the specific challenges that they face and learned how to use different practical tools to implement in practice the different steps in a child labour due diligence process by which companies identify, prevent, manage and account for the negative impact occurring in their operations or value chains.
The training was supported by the Dutch Government funded project ACCEL Africa to foster the elimination of all forms of child labour in the tea and coffee sectors, by strengthening responsible business conduct and due diligence processes with a specific focus on child labour.
The training package aims to increase businesses’ understanding of child labour and its negative effects on business operations. It also aims to improve business understanding of how to implement the ILO-IOE Child Labour Guidance Tool for Business in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) as well as relevant national legislations.
Specifically, the training tool aims to provide simple practices that companies can use in order to identify, prevent, mitigate risks and remedy cases of child labour.
Based on the Training Package, a training was conducted in December 2022, targeting members of the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), including tea and coffee producers, to capitalize on the experiences of companies’ due diligence efforts from risk identification, prevention, and remediation of child labour.
Through 4 online dynamic and interactive sessions and 3 Training of Trainers (ToT) sessions, 36 participants were able to understand the local context and the complex realities that underlie child labour, in order to ensure that their supply chains are free from child labour in a more sustainable way.
Participants increased their technical knowledge of international and national child labour requirements. They also improved their competencies and set of skills to support their work along with their out-growers and other stakeholders in identifying child labour and promoting more sustainable practices so as to become local agents of change.
Mr. Mweru Joshua, the Zonal Director for Upper Central Zone (Bugisu Cooperative Union) in Mbale district stated that the child labour due-diligence training “was one of the best training” he ever attended online as “it increased my understanding of child labour and the negative effects child labour has on our operations and investment opportunities”.
“The knowledge received is being applied to other coffee out-growers," he continued.
Through the training, participants were able to reflect on the specific challenges that they face and learned how to use different practical tools to implement in practice the different steps in a child labour due diligence process by which companies identify, prevent, manage and account for the negative impact occurring in their operations or value chains.
These companies are now in a better position to work within their supply chains to create a better future for children in Uganda.
‘’There is no reason, there is no excuse, Child Labour is Child abuse. It’s time to stop Child Labour and start child care. A child is meant to learn and not to earn. Say no to child labour and yes to education (..), children deserve to be happy, healthy and safe,’’ Yehoyada Banaki, McLeod Russel Uganda Limited, Kisaru Tea Estate, participant to training.
The positive experience generated also paves the way for replicability to other countries in Africa and other supply chains.
To achieve Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the role of enterprises is critical in contributing to the fight against child labour. The constantly evolving legal, economic, commercial, and social environment can lead to an increase in child labour and human rights risks for businesses operating in both domestic and global supply chains and at the level of their business relationships.
Supporting businesses to perform and grow in an environment that is respectful of human rights can foster countries' development by contributing to economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction. It can also accelerate technology transfer and the development of higher value-added activities that can, in turn, enhance skill development and productivity, and support the transition from the informal to the formal economy.